DEMOS

The expansion of the internet has distributed itself unevenly across the generations. Around 70% of people over 65 do not use the internet, compared to 30% of the overall population. Elderly people also experience some extreme forms of social exclusion; for example, 300,000 older people have gone a full month without speaking to family or neighbours.

Will the ‘age based digital divide’ fade away or is it here to stay? The connections between old people‘s digital and social exclusion remain unclear. Exactly what does the internet do for old people? Can it help make for a better old age?