With the start of the 'DigitalPakt Alter' (Digital pact for older people) today, the digital association Bitkom published survey results on digital skills in Germany. The results show that German consumers over the age of 65 would rate their own digital skills as merely sufficient (German school grade 4.3).
The initiative 'DigitalPakt Alter' by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) and the Federal Association of Senior Citizens' Organizations (BAGSO) is designed to help the elderly get started and use digital media to strengthen their digital participation.
For this representative study, Bitkom Research, on behalf of the digital association Bitkom, conducted telephone interviews in April 2021 asking a total of 1,004 people in Germany aged 16 and above about their personal skills using digital devices, applications and with programming.
These are further insights:
- People over 65 years rated their own digital skills as merely sufficient. People particularly above the age of 75 rated their skills as rather poor.
- Across all age groups, German consumers rated their digital skills as satisfactory.
- 37 percent of respondents would like to have a place where they could try out new technologies and learn new skills. At 49 percent, this desire was greatest among people over 75.
- Within the age group of people aged 75 and above, 68 percent would also welcome nationwide support services such as companions who provide concrete assistance on digital topics when needed.
Achim Berg, Bitkom President, commented: "Together with our member companies, we have been working for many years to make Germany a leading digital location. We are not only working on the digital transformation of business and government, but also on how we can achieve broad participation by society in digital progress. This affects older people in particular. We must enable digital participation for everyone – regardless of age, place of residence, bank balance or level of education. We are therefore very happy to support the ‘DigitalPakt Alter’ as a partner."
Source: Bitkom
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