Seniors Online: Attitudes Toward the Internet and Coping With Everyday Life

Abstract

Many older people do not use the Internet. We investigated the attitudes of older people who do (onliners) or do not (offliners) use the Internet, to assess their views of the Internet and whether they see the Internet as a resource for coping with everyday life situations. Participants aged ≥65 years (N = 1,037), living in Switzerland, were interviewed in a telephone survey. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted. The data show (a) many of the respondents viewed the Internet as useful, in general, and for coping with everyday life situations; (b) onliners saw more positive aspects of the Internet than did offliners; and (c) among onliners, 53% agreed with the statement, “The Internet allows me to stay independent longer into old age.” However, it appears that especially older onliners with a high affinity for technology will presumably use the Internet to cope with everyday life.