Intergenerational Research Project: The Findings By Ruaidhri, James, Mary and Joseph

We have just finished analysing all of the data found from our research study and have uncovered some very interesting findings. Although our findings cannot be generalised to the wider older population, they do give a good indication of the attitudes and concerns of the participants in the Intergenerational Learning Project. From our initial survey, it was found that 92% of respondents have access to a computer however 46% of those surveyed had no experience of using computers prior to joining the course. This clearly indicates the benefits in the ILP as it is providing the elderly with a much needed resource in aiding them to utilise the technological resources which many already have available. Of the respondents, 81% identified the primary reason in attending the course was to become more computer literate with 15% indicating the primary aim was to establish new communication links with family. Our research also found that 35% of the participants did not currently use Facebook but would consider doing so in the future. In terms of online shopping, 46% of the respondents had made a purchase on line with 35% stating that they hadn’t but would consider doing so in the future. This lead us to explore these issues further in the focus group with the results outlined as follows:

· 6 out of 7 respondents have access to a PC in their own homes.

· Those who had home computer access would use it 30 minutes or longer each day

· The main reasons why participants use the interest is to browse, e-mail, and use Facebook with two of the respondents having used the internet for online booking purposes.

· The respondents made some very interesting comments regarding Facebook. There was a common agreement amongst the participants that they did not want others to see what they were writing. Some also felt that they did not know enough about Facebook and found it very difficult to use.

· None of the respondents had used online banking and they do not intend to do so in the future either. One respondent noted that they enjoyed the experience of going to the bank and they would not get this by using internet banking.

We feel that these findings are very interesting and that the whole area of the elderly engaging with computers is one which should be explored further in the future. We would once again like to sincerely thank you for your participation in this project and wish you all the best for the future.