Determinants of internet use by the elderly in Spain: time dedicated to search and communications

Abstract

Internet use reduces the isolation or exclusion of individuals in specific socio-economic groups and, consequently, increases the quality of life, with this being especially the case for the elderly. Knowing that the elderly are becoming particularly active in dedicating time to the Internet, we provide evidence of the time that Spanish individuals aged 65 and older dedicate to two online activities: search and communications. We estimate a SUR model with data from the STUS for 2009-2010. Our main results indicate that being male has a positive influence on the time devoted to search on the Internet. Furthermore, time devoted to both Internet activities increases with higher levels of education and at the highest level of individual health.