The use of ICT devices by older people with a special focus on their type and respondents’ age: A Czech case study

ABSTRACT

The recent demographic trends show a rapid increase of aging population, especially in developed countries. Therefore, there is an urgent need to look for the opportunities of maintaining the quality of life of this aging population. One of the solutions seems to be the use of information and communication technology (ICT) devices, which can promote autonomy of older people by facilitating the execution of many routine activities such as shopping or communication. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of ICT devices among older people in the Czech Republic with respect to their type and respondents’ age. The methods include a questionnaire survey, as well as statistical processing of data collection. The results indicate that present seniors are becoming more digitally literate, especially in the use of mobile phones. However, the use of the technological devices then dramatically drops at the age of 75 years. In addition, the results indicate that future research should focus on the use of mobile phones, respectively smartphones, and its effectiveness on the improvement of quality of life of older generation groups.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Funding

This work was supported by the [Excelence 2017/18]; Faculty of Informatics and Management in Hradec Kralove.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the [Excelence 2017/18]; Faculty of Informatics and Management in Hradec Kralove.