Psychology of computer use: XXXIX. Prevalence of computer anxiety in British managers and professionals

The prevalence of computer anxiety among British managers and professionals was investigated. Questionnaire data were obtained from a sample of 235 British managers and professionals. Prevalence was defined as the percentage of individuals in the sample with scores above the midpoint on the computer-anxiety scale. A prevalence rate of 21.3% was found. The prevalence among women was double that among men. This rate is considered very high and may have significant negative effects on productivity or ability to adapt to new computer-based technology. Further, the results imply that scales assessing constructs relevant to rapidly changing issues such as computers need to be constantly updated.