Experiences of Older Adults During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: An Initial Exploration of Nationally Representative Data at the Intersection of Gender and Race

Abstract

Little is known about the overall experiences and feelings of diverse older populations during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. To provide the baseline information for future research and policy, this study analyzed the 2020 Health and Retirement Study COVID-19 project data ( n = 1782). More than 70% of older adults reported the following activities: watching TV (98%), reading (90%), using a computer and the internet (83%), gardening (82%), walking (75%), baking and cooking (73%), and praying (73%). Volunteering and attending community groups, which are known to benefit well-being, were unpopular (less than 8%). During the pandemic, older adults were generally satisfied with their lives, but more than half of them were concerned about their own health, family’s health, and future prospects. Our study also showed the differences in the experiences and feelings by gender and race as well as the intersection of gender and race in the United States.

Changes in Internet use patterns among older adults in England from before to after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…While some countries have reported a substantial increase in the number of older adult users (e.g., China) 12 , this has not been the case elsewhere: in England, older adults who rarely or never used the Internet before the outbreak, did not increase their use in the first three months of the pandemic 13 . Several cross-sectional studies have examined the types of Internet use among older adults and demographic predictors of these uses, but using data collected only after the onset of the pandemic [14][15][16][17] . These studies documented whether and how older adults use the Internet, including searching and sharing COVID-19-related information online, communicating, shopping, using social networking services, and banking, as well as differences between demographic subgroups in these types of uses.…”

The Resilience Divide Among Older Adults Under Uncertainty: A Positive Sociological Study of Life Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Crisis

“…Should this be the case, it is essential to pay attention to the heterogeneity in resilience across socio-demographic characteristics, alongside its overall trend, lest we leave vulnerable older adults left behind. Indeed, pioneering studies reported the heterogeneous experiences and behaviors under COVID-19 even among older adults (Cohn-Schwartz & Ayalon, 2021;Igarashi et al, 2022;Polenick et al, 2021;Yamashita et al, 2022) Herein, another unique contribution of this study is its "positive sociological" approach (Thin, 2014). In most of the aforementioned literature, the primary focus has been on the negative dimension of psychological well-being (e.g., loneliness, exhaustion, and stress).…”

“…Should this be the case, it is essential to pay attention to the heterogeneity in resilience across socio-demographic characteristics, alongside its overall trend, lest we leave vulnerable older adults left behind. Indeed, pioneering studies reported the heterogeneous experiences and behaviors under COVID-19 even among older adults ( Cohn-Schwartz & Ayalon, 2021 ; Igarashi et al, 2022 ; Polenick et al, 2021 ; Yamashita et al, 2022 )…”