Michigan Seniors Feeling the Digital Divide

by Hongqiang Sun and Dev Joshi, Research Analysts for Connected Nation

The Internet is a tool that has proven to be useful for all ages--allowing people across the country to connect and schools, businesses, and communities to flourish in new ways.

Last month, Project GOAL (Get Older Adults Online) hosted a meeting in Washington, DC that highlighted how technology adoption can impact seniors’ lives by improving their access to healthcare, making it easier to stay in touch with friends and family, and empowering them to stay active in their communities. 

Unfortunately, many seniors still do not subscribe to broadband service.

According to the recently released 2011 Michigan residential broadband adoption survey, about 838,000 Michigan adults age 70 or older (or 81%) don’t subscribe to home broadband service. In fact, more than half of Michigan adults in this age group don’t use the Internet at all.  By comparison, only 32% of Michiganders age 18-69 don’t have home broadband service and fewer than one in five say they don’t use the Internet.

The gap in broadband adoption and access is not only being impacted by location and economic standing, but clearly, by age as well.

Over the next several months, Connect Michigan and other CN programs will be highlighting the results of the new research and examining more startling evidence of the impact the digital divide has had on our state. 

Stay connected through our blog, Like us on Facebook, or Follow us on Twitter to see the latest broadband research.

The Social Value of Getting Older Americans On-Line

By Tom Koutsky, Chief Policy Counsel, Connected Nation

Mother's Day is still one of the busiest days of the year for traditional telephone companies. For an hour or two last Sunday, millions of younger Americans put down their iPads, logged out of Facebook, and ceased tweeting to call Mom or Grandma over the plain, ordinary telephone network.

It is well-documented that older Americans, especially those 70 and over, are among the least likely to be online. Today, I am honored to speak at the launch of the Get Connected event of Project GOAL (Getting Older Adults online) in Washington, DC. I have been privileged to work with Debra Berlyn, the executive director of Project GOAL, for longer than either of us would care to admit, and Connected Nation is proud to serve on the Project’s Advisory Committee. I hope that the launch will spark a policy debate on the importance of connecting older Americans to the Internet. Connected Nation's research shows that only 31% of adults age 70 or older subscribe to broadband at home, and both computer, mobile, and Internet use is significantly lower among the elderly.

Click image to enlarge

But does this adoption gap matter? Is there a crying need for real-time “relationship status” updates, or easier methods of sharing photos of grandchildren? Is it really that hard simply to call home?

The adoption gap among older adults does have an impact, well beyond the benefits of reading a grandchild’s tweets. Take, for example e-health. Broadband-enabled e-health applications like patient monitoring can save billions of dollars in costs for heart disease and diabetes every year. But older Americans use the Internet for health services at only half the rate as younger Americans. In addition, one study by my former colleagues at the Phoenix Center for Advanced Economic and Public Policy Studies has shown that digitally connected older Americans are significantly less likely to be depressed. Our society could reap significant social welfare gains if we were to improve that 31 percent elderly adoption rate.

So, how can it be done? Perhaps we can start with three simple ideas.

First, digital literacy training -- with a focus not only on basic computer skills but also privacy and security, such as lessons on how to pick a good password. CN is doing such a project in Ohio. Many of us first experienced the Internet through the workplace or school -- but the entire generation of elderly Americans has not had that opportunity. Research shows that broadband adoption is facilitated by trusted intermediary or trainer, so a strategy of recruiting younger Americans to help connect their parents and their grandparents may succeed.

Second, we can reform and be more creative in the federal Lifeline and Link-Up programs. These $1 billion per year programs currently subsidize dialtone service for millions of low-income older Americans. A simple change such as letting low-income families use Lifeline funds to help pay for bundles of voice and broadband service is a simple proposal that could go a long way to connecting older Americans. We also could transform those programs to support broadband directly.

And finally, perhaps we should think about broadband utilization and not simply broadband adoption among older Americans. Medical devices are being invented that will utilize ubiquitous broadband to provide better healthcare at home, particularly for chronic conditions like diabetes in which regular testing and monitoring are important. An older diabetic may never subscribe to broadband, but a ubiquitous broadband network and robust market for broadband-enabled devices and applications can help society reap the benefits of delivering life-saving and cost-effective e-health solutions.

In short, there are a lot reasons to ensure that every person in America utilizes broadband to the greatest extent possible, regardless of age. Getting older adults on-line is about more than sharing photo albums of grandchildren – it is about bringing all parts of our economy and society into the Information Age.

Project GOAL Aims at Getting Grandparents Online

Annie Woodsen, 91, shows off her graduation certificate which she earned from a senior computer training class sponsored by the Tennessee Community Foundation in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee.

Worrying about an aging loved one seems as American as apple pie.

Wishing grandpa had easier access to doctors and medical information;
Wishing grandma was better able to do the grocery and gift shopping that always gave her a sense of purpose;
Wishing they both could talk to their distant loved ones face-to-face more often.

These are the kind of wishes that can easily come true immediately by simply hooking up a computer to the Internet and teaching them how to use it. And now, a new organization is taking aim at accomplishing just that.

Project Get Older Adults onLine, or Project GOAL, has just been launched with its mission aimed at providing technology training resources for older adults and for organizations that serve older populations and their members. The training is meant to get senior citizens past the technology fear factor and plug them into the benefits of broadband. Project organizers point out how the Internet can reduce social isolation for seniors, help them stay connected to family members, keep their minds sharp, assist them in research on health or other information, connect them directly with doctors and medical monitoring, and help them accomplish chores like shopping without ever leaving home.

The fact is, high-speed Internet can greatly enrich the lives of older people, yet only 35 percent of Americans over the age of 65 have broadband at home. Project GOAL will work with seniors groups to match them with technology training in their area and help give them the resources they need to teach the elderly how to tap into the world of broadband.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is championing the new initiative and Project GOAL is backed by a number of technology companies like AT&T, Comcast, Facebook, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, and The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA). Connected Nation is serving as an advisory member along with AARP and the American Telemedicine Association.

Staff from the Jefferson County, Tenn. Office on Aging stand with a student during a recent senior citizens technologically training course.

Related Articles:
News Article: Elderly Encouraged to Reap Benefits of Broadband (AOL News, 04/06/2010)
News Article: Tech Titans Encourage Seniors to Go Online (PC Magazine, 04/06/2010)