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Gender Divides in Engagement With COVID-19 Information on the Internet Among U.S. Older Adults
[COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly]

Author

Listed:
  • Celeste Campos-Castillo
  • Deborah S Carr

Abstract

ObjectiveGender and age disparities in older adults’ exposure to pandemic stressors may create different needs for engaging with COVID-19 information, yet mitigation strategies to curb spreading COVID-19 inhibit their access to preferred in-person information networks. To inform the design of Internet-based interventions for older adults, the current study of U.S. older adults examines gender and age divides in searching for and sharing COVID-19 information on the Internet.MethodA secondary analysis of survey data from the Pew Research Center fielded March 19–24, 2020. Bivariate probit regressions jointly estimated how searching for and sharing information on the Internet about COVID-19 were associated with the age and gender of U.S. older adults (50 or older), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsConsistent with previous research, younger older adults (50–64) were more likely than their older counterparts (65 or older) to search for and share information about COVID-19 and men, regardless of age, were less likely than women to share information. While men are usually more likely than women to search for information, women who are younger older adults were most likely to search for COVID-19 information.DiscussionInternet-based interventions for older adults should consider how gender shapes their exposure to pandemic stressors. Men, who were already at risk of social isolation before the pandemic, may be candidates for interventions encouraging social uses of the Internet. Women between 50 and 64 were most likely among adults to provide care for another adult before the pandemic, which may be shaping their online information needs.

Suggested Citation

  • Celeste Campos-Castillo & Deborah S Carr, 2021. "Gender Divides in Engagement With COVID-19 Information on the Internet Among U.S. Older Adults [COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly]," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(3), pages 104-110.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:76:y:2021:i:3:p:e104-e110.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbaa133
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ofrit Kol & Dorit Zimand-Sheiner & Shalom Levy, 2024. "A tale of two paths to vaccine acceptance: self-interest and collective interest effect, mediated by institutional trust, and moderated by gender," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Garín-Muñoz, Teresa & Pérez-Amaral, Teodosio & Valarezo, Ángel, 2022. "Evolution of the internet gender gaps in Spain and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(8).

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