Related Experiment Videos
Intergenerational patterns of digital use: Evidence from a large cross-sectional study
Goran Erfani1, Alison Steven1, Lesley Young-Murphy1
1Northumbria University, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, School of Healthcare and Nursing Sciences, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|July 8, 2026
Summary
Digital use varies significantly across six generations, with younger groups spending more time online than older ones. Public health strategies should focus on bridging this digital divide through targeted training and accessible platforms.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Digital Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Digital technology use is increasingly prevalent across all age groups.
- Understanding generational differences in digital engagement is crucial for public health initiatives.
- A significant digital divide may exist between different age cohorts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the extent of digital use across six distinct generations in North East England.
- To identify statistically significant differences in digital tool and internet usage among these generations.
- To inform public health strategies aimed at reducing the intergenerational digital divide.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional descriptive study utilizing online and paper-based surveys.
- Data collected from 9,181 respondents across six generations (Greatest to Z) in a North East England district.
- Statistical analyses included One-way ANOVA, Tukey-Kramer HSD, and ANCOVA, supplemented by Content Analysis for qualitative data.
Main Results:
- Respondents reported lower online engagement compared to other British cohorts.
- Baby Boomers and Generation X showed significant differences in digital use compared to other generations.
- Younger generations (Y and Z) reported higher digital use, while the Greatest and Silent Generations reported the lowest.
Conclusions:
- Public health initiatives must prioritize strategies to bridge the generational digital divide.
- Targeted training programs and user-friendly digital health platforms are recommended to enhance digital literacy and adoption.
- Fostering intergenerational collaboration through technology can drive digital health transformations and ensure equitable access.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
Since the early 2000s, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has grown rapidly, playing a crucial role in self-development. A key distinction between CMC and real-life interactions is the lack of a physically present partner. This absence makes non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and paralinguistic signals unavailable in CMC platforms like email, instant messaging, or social media. The lack of these cues can create ambiguity and complicate how feedback is interpreted.The...
01:50Cross-Sectional Research
In cross-sectional research, a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time. If they were interested in people's dietary habits, the researcher might directly compare different groups of people by age. Instead of following a group of people for 20 years to see how their dietary habits changed from decade to decade, the researcher would study a group of 20-year-old individuals and compare them to a group of 30-year-old individuals and a group of 40-year-old...
02:20Longitudinal Research
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
01:26Longitudinal Studies
Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
01:21Impact of Social Context on Individuals
Social psychology examines how the real or imagined presence of others influences individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A key concept in this field is the role of social context in shaping behavior. The same individual may act differently depending on the social setting, due to the varying expectations and norms associated with each environment. This context-dependent behavior illustrates the influence of social roles, which prescribe appropriate conduct in specific situations.Social...
01:40Archival Research
Some researchers gain access to large amounts of data without interacting with a single research participant. Instead, they use existing records to answer various research questions. This type of research approach is known as archival research. Archival research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships. For example, a researcher might access the academic records of all individuals who enrolled in college within the past ten years and...