Image credit: Xinhua/Li Xin; People’s Daily Online
Imagine that you’ve been churning out copy after copy on your trusty old typewriter, and all of a sudden, someone puts a modern computer in front of you and says, “that’s how you need to do it from tomorrow.” While perhaps not as drastic, that’s how the digitalisation trajectory feels like for many seniors who unlike early adopters are struggling to interact with a digitally connected world that no longer feels familiar.
Age is catching up
The growing digital divide has reared its ugly head in countries across the world, and Singapore—despite having Asia’s most proactive digitalisation approach—is not an exception. While this isn’t a new issue, and concerns were raised many years ago, the pandemic has made this gap so evident that there’s simply no brushing it under the carpet anymore. Couple this with a rapidly ageing population in many countries around the world—Japan, South Korea, and China to name a few—and it’s clear why most governments are sitting up and taking notice. In Singapore itself, estimates suggest that 1 out of 4 people will be aged 65 and above by 2030.
The way forward
To bring about improvements requires data to review and act upon, and there has been considerable research in this area over the last few years. It starts with the basics, with an understanding on how seniors access the internet, and this 2021 report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) sheds light on the challenges that lie ahead as seniors find themselves with no choice but to be digitally savvy in these pandemic times.
It is important to measure the actual experience of interacting with government agencies in particular since that’s where digital services are used the most. Blackbox Research’s Public Service Experience Index (PSXI) is an annual study that tracks and measures the digital transformation of public sector organisations in Singapore—with a focus on how Singaporeans value and perceive these organisations (You can check out the detailed findings of this study on our interactive site). Among the several findings, a recurring theme across 3 years has been the growing digital divide, with seniors rating these organisations less favourably than the younger lot, with overall scores of 38.3 and 48.4, respectively. The steep learning curve that presented itself during the pandemic is possibly a contributing factor.
Seniors are receptive to digital learning, and there is willingness to understand
It is easy to assume that just because there may be an initial struggle to understand concepts through digital learning, there is a lack of willingness or even inability of seniors to navigate these challenges. This is far from the truth, since our recent survey, ‘Emerging From The Pandemic: The New Mood In Singapore’ shows that there is enthusiasm among even among the older age group (age 50+) towards digital learning, with 62% feeling that it is a good change to have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the public sector doing to address this?
Every country’s issues are aplenty, and one could go on and on in an endless loop complaining about its problems, but a solution-based approach helps to rapidly course correct, identify any concerns, and put into plan actionable goals that can make a quick, visible difference. The Seniors Go Digital programme is an example of the Singapore government’s efforts in the right direction—which employs dedicated digital ambassadors to help support seniors in familiarising themselves with today’s changing scenario. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) board, which ranked quite high in our PSXI index, has also been consistently training its employees to sensitise them about concerns that are unique to the elderly, such as the oft-ignored one of hesitancy. Many seniors are apprehensive about using these services due to the fear of unintentionally clicking on a tab and ‘something going wrong’.
Taking cues from the private sector and NGOs
While the government’s efforts are laudable, there’s much to learn from the private sector too. Telecom giant Singtel recently partnered with NTUC Health to launch a ‘Donate your Data’ programme where customers can donate their unused data to seniors. This donated data will then be consolidated into prepaid sim cards and distributed through NTUC’s senior activity centres. Additionally, this donated data will be used for digital literacy programmes that help the silver generation with the basics such as using the internet on their smartphones.
Community services play a major role in assisting seniors as well. Recently, in March 2022, Fei Yue Community Services, among others, were appreciated at an event lauding 300,000 seniors for their efforts in learning how to go digital. This event was organised by The Council for Third Age, an agency that “promotes active ageing in Singapore through public education, outreach and partnerships.”
In China, many NGOs have been set up specifically to help senior citizens who are hesitant to use digital technologies. Specifically, in Jiangsu, there are dedicated training centres that familiarise the elderly with modern smartphones. Neighbouring India has NGOs such as Adhata Trust, which helps address the isolation felt by any elders by enabling them to use video-conferencing tools such as Skype. Young Indians are also stepping up to address this challenge, with simple initiatives like setting up online workshops for the elderly at a nominal fee.
Doing our bit for a digitally connected world
These measures are welcome, but a key part of this puzzle is often ignored—helping one another. During the peak of the pandemic, a survey in India, the world’s second-most populous country, highlighted an overlooked aspect of the digital divide: the paucity of time. Not on the part of seniors themselves but rather of their children. From a total of 1,580 elderly participants, 90% of respondents said they were keen on learning digital tools and incorporating them into their daily lives. However, 60% said they haven’t done so because their children didn’t have time. This is likely to be the trend in many other regions, and while governments can be faulted for not doing more, it’s also time we asked ourselves: are we doing enough for our elderly? So the next time that Netflix subscription is up for renewal, maybe we could make a decision to also put aside some time for something more meaningful that benefits society and the state.
Author: Blackbox Research Team
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