Older Canadians lag in online savvy: study
Briefs | 03/09/2007 5:00 am EST
Older Canadians are proving that the digital divide is alive and well in Canada, a new study released by Ipsos Reid has found. The study shows that Canadian adults aged 55 or older are significantly lagging behind the 18-54 age group when it comes to online use and proficiency. Currently, only 61% of the former group has Internet access compared to 88% in the latter group. Older Canadians also spend 35% less time online each week than their younger counterparts. According to Steve Mossop, the president of western Canadian market research for Ipsos, a "large gap in access combined with older Canadians’ lack of experience and skill and what appears to be an inherent distrust of online security" are major contributors to this disparity.