Older adults and ICT adoption: Analysis of the use and attitudes toward computers in elderly Spanish people

Abstract

Contemporary research on older people Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption underlines conducting studies with objective (frequency and type of use) and also subjective (perceived barriers, associated usefulness…) data, and from a multivariate approach. In the current study the use of and the personal experience with ICT, with special reference to personal computer (PC), are analysed in a sample of 212 community-dwelling Spanish adults aged 60 or older. Participants completed a structured questionnaire about a) perceived barriers, frequency and type of use, associated usefulness, and sense of control with respect to three ICT devices (smartphone, PC, and tablet) ; and b) attitudes toward PC, assessed (from a multidimensional approach) by the Spanish version of the Computer Attitude Scale. Two multivariate statistical techniques were used to detect profiles of older people related to PC adoption, and to identify the specific attitudinal dimensions that influence members belonging to these profiles. Descriptive statistics show a certain digital divide related to age, but also a relevant heterogeneity in ICT adoption. Multivariate analyses reveal three types of older adult-PC users, and underline usefulness and behavioral attitudinal components as key factors for promoting a more active PC adoption by older people.