e-Administration and the e-inclusion of the elderly

Abstract

Introduction: The use of Internet by the elderly to handle transactions with officialdom and corporations demands further in-depth study. The census data published by the INE in July 2015 confirm population aging in Spain and little use of e-administration by the oldest social group. The aim of this work is to take a close look at the reasons for this limited use of electronic administration and online procedures by older Internet users. Methodology: The causes and obstacles in the use of these processes are studied, following a strict analysis of the scientific bibliography together with the assorted surveys carried out on the issue by public and private institutions. Results and Conclusions: The results show acceptance of the use of electronic resources for the most routine and simple tasks due to the speed and convenience they offer while simultaneously promoting the autonomy and empowerment of the elderly. However, there is a series of points that have a negative effect on their use that must be addressed in order to favour greater digital inclusion of this age group; these are dealt with in the discussion of this proposal.

Perceptions and Attitudes of Spanish “Digital Seniors” Towards E-Government

“…Compared to previous research that characterizes seniors as a homogenous group in relation to e-Government and has focused on their difficulties in accessing its services (Abad-Alcalá et al, 2017;Chadwick-Dias et al, 2007;Turner et al, 2007;Viñarás-Abad et al, 2017;Williamson & Asla, 2009;Xie & Bugg, 2009), proposing digital literacy as the way to achieve digital inclusion (Abad-Alcalá, 2014;Abad-Alcalá, 2016;Llorente-Barroso et al, 2021), this article makes clear the heterogenous makeup of this group and suggests a classification that would permit the design of differentiated e-Government strategies for each cluster. (Madrid).…”

“…Consequently, it is essential to design and implement measures which help seniors isolated at home to benefit from electronic services (Ma & Zheng, 2017). In this sense, e-Government can play a key role in bridging the digital generation divide (Viñarás et al, 2017).…”

“…However, although it is considered that people more familiar with ICT are able to pick up e-Government innovations more rapidly than seniors (Chirara, 2018), e-Government cannot exclude this social group, who could view their citizen rights as being restricted. (Abad-Alcalá, 2016;Abad-Alcalá et al, 2017;Burholt et al, 2019;Viñarás-Abad et al, 2017). An adequate digitalisation of governmental services guarantees the functionality of the services and the autonomy of the citizens, which is particularly important in the case of seniors, who consider 'autonomous life' means wellbeing and quality of life (Siren & Knudsen, 2017).…”

“…The minimal use of computers and ICT by seniors at the beginning of the century reflected the lack of perceived importance to them (Selwyn et al, 2003). In general, various research has indicated the positive psycho-social impact which the use of ICT has on seniors Shapira et al, 2007;Viñarás-Abad et al, 2017). As for seniors who have never had contact with ICT, the use of these technologies brings them confidence, independence and social commitment (Baker et al, 2017).…”

“…The Internet provides multiple possibilities for an active and autonomous old age (Llorente-Barroso et al, 2015;Slegers et al, 2007), which favours citizen empowerment of this age group (Llorente et al, 2018;Sánchez-Valle et al, 2017;Slegers et al, 2007). However, seniors do not take full advantage of the Internet nor use it as frequently nor as easily as do younger generations (Chadwick-Dias et al, 2007), fundamentally, due to complex web designs where navigation and use are not particularly intuitive (Llorente-Barroso & Sáez-Díez-Rebanal, 2019), and distrust performing online procedures (Viñarás-Abad et al, 2017). Consequently, to encourage a higher use of online services, it would be advisable to adapt the interface to a senior-friendly design (Llorente-Barroso & Sáez-Díez-Rebanal, 2019;Lunn et al, 2009;National Institute on Aging, 2009;University of Maryland, 2001;Web Accessibility Initiative, 2010) which incorporates a social value related to their specific needs (Yap et al, 2017).…”