Planning further events as part of the Connect! initiative, we realized that to better understand the needs of seniors, it's worth finding out how they themselves view the online world. Even in the first training sessions – conducted since May – we noticed that these are people who readily use the internet in their daily lives. And this is precisely the hypothesis we set for our short study. Today, we present to you a summary of what we managed to learn. Curious about the results?
Equipped with helmets, cameras, and writing materials, at the turn of June and July, we set sail in our drakkar across the city to ask its older residents a few questions. We supplemented this with the results from surveys completed by members of organizations uniting Wrocław seniors. All of this was to better address the real needs of the elderly and to directly target their interests with organized events.
Despite the heat, we managed to meet and talk with dozens of seniors who not only readily answered our questions but, much like at the workshops, engaged in passionate discussions with us.
Out of the 96 people who participated in the survey, 42 were people encountered on the streets, and 54 completed questionnaires. We took a close look at seniors' approaches to new technologies and the virtual world.
Are you curious about the results? If so, first and foremost, be sure to watch the mini-report from the survey we conducted (and try not to smile! :))
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Bv22D4l8Y&feature=youtu.be” width=”280″ height=”220″ autoplay=”yes”]
Although as Vikings we like to know where we stand and prefer things to be black or white, the survey results did not dishearten us at all. It turned out that the hypothesis we adopted was neither definitively confirmed nor refuted. Half of the people we surveyed readily use the internet on a daily basis.
The seniors with whom we had the chance to engage in (and by the way, interesting, often emotional) conversations, overwhelmingly believe that by being able to use the internet, intergenerational differences can be reduced. Their interest in increasing knowledge in technology areas is primarily linked to free training and courses. For us, this is a sign that it's not time for a siesta, but rather to roll up our sleeves and continue connecting seniors to the online world. But a true Viking is not afraid of work!
Respondents who do not use the internet, in most cases, either don't have the appropriate equipment or have some concerns about entering the virtual world. Older people also struggle to give a definitive answer to many questions, such as those concerning technological novelties and participation in events dedicated to this topic. And this is precisely where we see room for action – we now know what to do to set sail with seniors on the wide seas of the internet with the help of our drakkar crew! :)
In conclusion, the conducted survey has reinforced our conviction that continuing our activities as part of the Connect! initiative is the right course of action. Since the limitations in internet usage by seniors largely stem from a lack of equipment or fear, it signifies that these are issues that can be resolved through basic educational efforts – and these are precisely what we are providing for Wrocław seniors as part of our initiative.
You can find the full report below. Happy reading!
And very soon, you'll be able to see further results of our work within the initiative.
Stay tuned!
