Determinants of internet use by the elderly in Spain: Time dedicated to search and communications

Abstract

Internet use reduces the isolation or exclusion of individuals in specific socio-economic groups and, consequently, increases the quality of life, with this being especially the case for the elderly. Since the elderly are becoming more active in dedicating time to the Internet, we provide evidence of the time that individuals in Spain aged 65 and older dedicate to two online activities: search and communications. Thus, our work contributes to the central objective of the Digital Agenda for Europa, which sets out to ensure universal broadband coverage across the European Union. We estimate a simultaneous SUR model with data from the 4,036 individuals aged 65 years (inclusive) and older from the Spanish Time Use Survey for 20092010. Results indicate that being male has a positive influence on the time devoted to search on the Internet, whereas age has a negative effect. Time devoted to both Internet activities increases with higher levels of education and at the highest level of individual health. By contrast, a larger number of family members has a negative influence on the time spent on search and, more so, on communications. Finally, living in a larger city has a positive effect on the time dedicated to search.