Types of Older Adults ICT Users and the Grey Divide: Attitudes Matter

Abstract

In a context where the proportion of older people increases, research related to active aging and digital technologies has generated a wide debate and numerous investigations aiming to implement new public policies. Usually these are based more on “classic” gaps than on the so-called “grey divide”, which focuses on perceptions and attitudes. To capture this dimension, a questionnaire was designed on uses, learning, and ethical, motivational and attitudinal aspects. A field work was carried out aimed at the population of the Autonomous Community of Madrid between 65 and 80 years old, with quotas of age and sex, with a total of 785 cases, with a sampling error of 3.5% for a p=95%. The results indicate that, given the specific uses made by the elderly, they are marked by the ubiquity of the cell phone, which is basically used to communicate, to alleviate loneliness and to stay active. Thus, through a cluster analysis we have been able to elaborate a typology of users according to attitudes and perceptions (grey divide) allowing us to better characterize the levels of technological adoption in a wider set of factors.