A major survey by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) has revealed how – and why - millions of older people are finding themselves excluded from the social, educational and financial advantages of having Internet access.  

The main findings are that:
 
• Only half of over 50s have access to the Internet – leaving 10 million older people unconnected.
 
• A generation left on wrong side of ‘digital divide’ will miss out on telecare, entertainment, social networking and online shopping – leaving them increasingly isolated and disadvantaged unless radical action is taken.
 
• Income a key factor – but distrust and worries about pornography, lack of security and ‘it’s only for younger people’ attitude are the main reasons.
 
The Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) by the OII, which is a world leading centre on Internet research and part of the University of Oxford, was undertaken as part of a cross-age survey of 2,013 people, and the 916 results for the 50+ age group have been analysed by the UK’s leading campaigning newspaper for older people, Mature Times.
 
The survey examined both the use of the Internet and the attitudes towards it amongst different age groups. Key findings include:
 
• Only 51.5% of the respondents currently have access to the Internet, compared to 81.7% amongst 25-49 year olds, and only 45.1% use computers (compared to 81.2%).

• Some 47.1% have never used the Internet, compared to 9.6% of 25-49 year olds who have never used the Internet.
 
• The older the respondent, the less likely he/she is to use the Internet and there is a significant drop of user rates at the end of 50s, and another drop at the end of 60s. In the age group 50-54 years, 73.4% are Internet users, but only 19.7% in the age group 75+ are.
 
• Income is a significant factor as the lower the socio economic group, the less likely it is that a person will own a computer – and many of those living on a pension are in the lowest income groups. In the 50+ group, only 17.2% of lowest income group are Internet users; however, they make up 36% of the population in that age group.
 
“The level of detail that this survey has revealed makes very important reading for everyone concerned about the social exclusion of many older people,” says Mature Times editor Tony Watts.
 
“We have around half a million ‘hard copy’ readers and some 100,000 website users, and the subject of Internet use amongst older people  - or rather the relative lack of it - has been a major issue for us and our readers for some time. “It’s very clear that the ‘digital divide’ is rapidly becoming a gulf, and there is a huge swathe of people who will become increasingly isolated and disadvantaged unless some radical action is taken.
 
“It’s not just about money, although that’s a key factor. It’s mostly attitude.
 
“I have had letters and calls from many, many readers whose opinions back up this report and reveal a lack of interest and even a huge distrust of the web, and there are probably millions of people who are determined never to consider even trying to operate a computer.”
 
So why aren’t older people using the web? According to Professor Bill Dutton, who directs OxIS, trust in the Internet is based largely on experience with this technology. As he said: “Getting elders to experience the Internet, when they distrust it, is the central challenge.”
 
Even those older people who do use the Internet tend only to use the more basic applications – such as emails – ignoring the potential for social networking, researching information on subjects, such as healthcare, and shopping online to take advantage online discounts.
 
This is partly down to confidence. Only 57% of those respondents aged 50+ using the Internet rate their ability as ‘good-excellent’ compared to 74.1% of Internet users in the age group 25-49 who rate their abilities highly. Moreover, there is a strong distrust of the Internet: around 60% of older people are ‘very strongly’ concerned about SPAM, viruses, and ‘unpleasant experiences’ such as pornography online, while this is only true for 40% to 50% of the younger age groups.
 
Perhaps more importantly is perceived relevance: slightly under half of 50+ people see the Internet as an important source of useful information, compared to 85.5% of the respondents aged 25-49. Only 38% consider the Internet important for entertainment, and just 61.9% think that the Internet makes life easier - in contrast to 82.2% of younger individuals.
 
 “The picture drawn by this research, and from feedback from our readers, is of three distinct groups amongst people over 50,” says Tony Watts.
 
“There are those who have fully embraced the technology, and these tend to be the ‘younger old’ 50-65 age group, many of whom have first come into contact with the technology through work. This is probably less than 40%, or eight million of the 20 million people aged 50 and over in this country.
 
“There is another swathe of people, probably 10% or two million, who have limited use of the Internet – mostly for emails.
 
“And that leaves around half of the 50+ population, around 10 million people, who just aren’t using the Internet at all – and probably will never use it unless a major education campaign is mounted, probably backed by financial incentives. There are some initiatives going on to increase Internet use – but they are really only scratching the surface at the moment.”
 
But why is it important for more older people to start surfing the web? “The world is changing incredibly quickly, and the pace of change is accelerating,” says Tony Watts. “At the moment, the Internet – for most of us – is still a computer in the corner that gives us access to news, information, social networking and some entertainment.
 
“However, within the next decade or so, the Internet is likely to become the primary means of telecare - connecting people to remote health scanning and monitoring – and older people will have the biggest need of this. All of our entertainment is likely to be delivered via the web, and so too our communications with the outside world.

“We are talking about people who will be around for another 20, 30 or even 40 years. There is a big job to do persuading them of the advantages and necessity of getting on board as quickly as possible. If that doesn’t happen, the loneliness and isolation that so many experience in old age is going to get a whole lot worse.”