Non-use of Digital Services Among Older Adults During the SecondWave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland: Population-Based Survey Study

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to examine the associations of sociodemographic factors and factors related to physical, mental, cognitive, and social functioning with the non-use of digital services among older adults during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally representative data from Finland were collected between October 2020 and January 2021. The present study included 1524 respondents (response rate 68.2%, 56.6% female) aged between 70 and 100. The analyses were conducted with multivariable logistic regression. Almost half of the respondents did not use digital services independently. Those who needed assistance due to functional limitations, had insufficient energy in everyday life, perceived that their memory or ability to learn was impaired, had three or more members in the household, and lived in rural region had greater odds of being non-users of digital services than their counterparts. Thus, challenges to cope independently in everyday life, cognitive impairment, and rural living seemed to expose older adults to risk for exclusion from digital services. Factors may be interconnected, further weakening the inclusion of older people in society. It seems that adapting to rapid digital development and face-to-face service delivery constraints during the pandemic may have been particularly challenging for these vulnerable individuals. To ensure wider use of digital services, the natural decline in functioning with age should be noted, and older adults should be included in the development of digital services. Accessible support and traditional face-to-face services must be secured.