Ownership,Use,and Non-Use of Personal Computers by Older Adults

Abstract

This study focuses on the identification of variables that explain older adults' ownership and/or use of PCs. The data were acquired from telephone interviews with 422 randomly-selected older adults, ages sixty to ninety-seven. The study was conducted during late autumn 1995, throughout the Muncie/Delaware County area, a.k.a. “Middletown, U.S.A.” Regression analysis of ten independent variables (R = 0.4878; R² = 0.2380) found that three variables explained the majority of the variance (R = 0.4748; R² = 0.2255) in the PC variable. The three variables, that had direct effects on PC ownership/usage are in order of magnitude level of education, age, and sex of respondent. In addition, both education and age are influenced by sex.

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