Research project aims to strengthen digital safety for older people

Digital media and online services are now part of everyday life in Sweden. However, many older people feel insecure and unsafe when using digital media. Around 60 per cent of older people (65+ years) say that they feel inhibited in their use of the internet due to feeling afraid and other negative emotions. A new research project aims to improve the online experiences of older people.

The research project ”Seniorsurfarna – projekt för en tryggare digital vardag” (Senior surfers- project for a safer digital daily life) has been granted SEK 4.3 million by the Kamprad Family Foundation. The project, which will run for three years, will analyse the safety and insecurity of older people online in order to create a more secure digital everyday life.

“The project is important as digital safety is relatively unexplored, especially in relation to older people. By gaining knowledge about this, we can create the conditions that will make day-to-day digital use safer,”says Ernesto Abalo, Assistant Professor of Media and Communications at the School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University.

Ernesto Abalo is part of the project together with Mia-Marie Hammarlin, Lund University, Tobias Olsson, Malmö University and project leader Dino Viscovi, Linnaeus University.

Since 2012, when smartphones and tablets became a natural part of everyday life in Sweden, digital devices have taken an increasingly central role in our lives. This also includes the lives of a large share of the population who are over 65. Nowadays, bills, healthcare contacts and prescriptions are managed online, and we are expected to use digital solutions to pay for parking, file tax returns, and buy tickets for travel. In short, both public and private services have shifted to being administered through digital channels and platforms. For digitalisation to be a positive force for individuals and to contribute to sustainable development, it is crucial that these services are not only secure but also perceived as reliable.

Safety issues are important for older people

The project team is also working on another three-year research project that ends in December, which is called “Digitalt som default? Äldre medborgare och välfärdens gränssnitt” External link, opens in new window. (Digital by default? Older citizens and welfare interfaces), that involved an analysis of how older citizens understand, feel and act in their encounters with sites such as 1177.se, pensionsmyndigheten.se and municipal websites. Some of the results, including interview material, will be used in the new project.

“When we interviewed older people about their use of welfare digital interfaces, we noticed that safety issues in relation to their use of digital media were important to them. This was a recurring theme in the interviews”, says Ernesto Abalo.

Three sub-studies

An essential first step in promoting a safer digital environment for older people is to explore the different aspects of fear that they feel, how prevalent this feeling is and the extent of it. The project aims to generate this knowledge through three sub-studies. The first sub-study is devoted to a re-analysis of existing interview material from the previous project, in close collaboration with supervisors from SeniorNet, which is a partner in the research project.

The second sub-study includes interviews and reception studies, which focus on investigating how individuals over the age of 65 react and act online, in order to analyse and understand the different forms of insecurity that occur. The third and final sub-study involves a representative sample of Sweden's 65-90-year-olds responding to a postal survey, with the aim of mapping the extent and spread of digital insecurity.

The project will also initiate a research circle together with SeniorNet Växjö. The research circle will be used to disseminate the new knowledge to key actors, both locally and nationally.

For more information on the project, contact Ernesto Abalo.