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ECOM+45 questionnaire analysis

 

 

by Ganit Hirschberg and Priszcilla Várnagy

 

Table of contents

Introduction.....................................................................................................................3

First part of the questionnaire: Personal data (1.-6.)...................................................4

Second part of the questionnaire: Interests and motivation (7.-8.).............................7

Third part of the questionnaire: Practise in ICT-use (9.-17.).....................................9

Introduction

 

 

As a first phase of the Project ECOM 45+, a survey was organised in each of the partner organisations. This survey concerned with the perception that the target population, people aged 45+, have nowadays about the relevance of ICT and E-working in their lives and about the way in which ICT can improve their quality of life and professional skills.

The questionnaires were implemented by all the partners and were answered by 295 people aged 41 to 89 all are learners attending ICT courses. The majority of the respondents are not working, they either retired or unemployed but there is still an important group of respondents who are working

The following report analyses the answers of the participants in order to help us understand the perceptions, uses, needs and motivation of our target group.

 

This analysis will serve as a basis for discussions and recommendations of how to introduce ICT to people over 45 years old as well as what they should be offered in order to keep them active as well as improve the quality of their lives.

 

The total number of respondents to the questionnaires was 295 out of our 389 target students. Excel program was used for analyzing the data. The questionnaires were distributed to the students attending an ICT-course in the partner institutions.

 

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS FOR ALL THE INSTITUTIONS:

CHART OF DATA

The total group under study (N)

389

Participants (n)

295

Percentage of population having or lacking the characteristic under study (p = q)

0,5

Reliability

95%

Units of standard deviation in the normal distribution (Z)

1,96

Standard error (SE)

2,81%

 

 

First part of questionnaire: Personal data

 

The aim of the first part of the questionnaire is to find out the patterns of the personal data and characteristics of our respondents.

 

1)     Sex

 

Figure 1. shows that there were generally more female respondents (71%) than male (29%).

 

           Figure 1. Sex (all institutions involved)

 

2)     Marital status

 

A majority (55%) of our students are married. 45% are single either due to divorce (17%) or widowhood (11%). This data is shown on Figure 2.

 

     

       Figure 2. Marital status (all institutions involved)

3)     Age

 

The age-distribution of the respondents were majorly even. Most of them are between the age of 45 and 66, however we had a 88 and 89 years old male respondent as well.

    

       Figure 3. Age (all institutions involved)

 

4)     Do you live alone?

 

The students in ECOM+45 project mostly do not live alone as it is shown in Figure 4.

     

       Figure 4. Living alone (all institutions involved)

5)     Qualifications

 

A big number of our respondents had at least one university degree (45%) or a bachellurate (44%). A small proportion finished only primary school (10%). This data will be relevant for taking into account their background knowledge and potential motivations.

 

     

       Figure 5. Qualifications (all institutions involved)

 

 

6)     Current occupation/job

 

Based on the characteristics of the target group, a big proportion of the students were not employed. The biggest number of them, 136 students were already retired and 52 unemployed, while 63 students were employees. Figure 6. suggests that probably the biggest number of students will be motivated to learn ICTs for becoming more active in life and improve their social network and activites.

 

     

       Figure 6. Current occupation (all institutions involved)

 

Second part of questionnaire: Interests and motivation

 

 

7)     Need to learn how to use ICTs

 

On Figure 7. The need for the ICT training is shown very clearly. The biggest number of students rated the need for learning how to use ICTs as a grade 8 or higher on a scale of 10. This shows they are highly motivated in the training.

 

     

       Figure 7. Need to learn ICTs (all institutions involved

 

 

8)     Interest in ICTs

 

Figure 7. shows that 3 main interests arise in our students to learn ICT. Firstly, 79 students answered that they would like to feel better in their current activities by a better ICT-konowledge, 65 students are interested in not to be excluded with respect to ICT and 45 students answered that they would like to feel more integrated to the society. The fourth bigger bar is to find a new job with respect to their current activites as 29 students chose this option. These numbers are in correspondance with the current occupations and jobs of our students in section 6. 

 

       Figure 8. Interest in ICTs (all institutions involved)

 

 

Third part of questionnaire: Practise in ICT-use

 

9)     What do you mainly use ICTs for?

 

Despite of the fact that only 21% (63 students) of the target group is still employees, 45% claimed to use ICTs both for work and personal use. We can conclude though that almost all of the respondents use ICT for personal use (87%), while an also big number of them (55%) use ICTs for work.

 

     

       Figure 9. Uses of ICTs (all institutions involved)

 

10) State those ICTs that you have at home and use regularly

 

As we see it on Figure 10., ICTs at home are majorly used by a mobile telephone and a computer with internet. These are the three areas in which there was a great similarity between the answers of the respondents. The use of other sources of ICTs were more divided however among our students.

 

     

       Figure 10. ICTs at home (all institutions involved)

 

 

11) Can you count on someone to help you if you have problems when using the ICTs?

 

Figure 11. shows that students above the age of 45 very often (52%) do not have any help when they have a problem using ICTs. Only 43% of the respondants answered that they do have help in need.

 

      

        Figure 11. Help in ICTs (all institutions involved)

 

 

 

      12) Who helps you when you find dificulties in using ICTs?

     

 

 

     

       Figure 12. People helping in ICTs (all institutions involved)

 

When they need help in using ICT, a large majority of the seniors (41%) would consult their relatives. This is probably due to the fact that this help is more accessible and open to help.

We assum that most of the seniors are not working anymore and therefore the relatives are the most accessible possibility – these can be the children or even the grandchildren who are more intuitive with ICT.

There is also a possibility that they would not ask for workmates, as that might harm their professional image. At the same time that relatives may be more understanding about that.

The second option for help are friends, 12% . probably also due to disponibility and understanding.

 

 

13) What do you use your PC for?

 

      

        Figure 13. Uses of a PC (all institutions involved)

 

Most of the seniors are using the computer for 2 major activities – wordprocessing and Internet

The applications which are least used are photo retouching and banking/accounting although quite many expressed an interest in learning how to retouch photos which shows a start of opening to more complex activities.

 

14)  What do you use the Internet for?

   

  Figure 14. Uses of Internet (all institutions involved)

 

When asked about their use of the internet, it seems that most of them don’t use and are not interested in using the numerous applications.

However, of these who are using the internet the largest number uses is for : search of information about leisure activities, email, and get informed (read newspapers, watch TV or listen to the radio)

 

 

 

15)  How many hours a week do you usually use your PC?

     

     

       Figure 15. Hours a week using a PC (all institutions involved)

 

Many of the users of the PC are using it for 2-5 hours (26%) and 5-6 hours (24%). However, a large part (21%) is using the PC even more than 10 hours a week.

More than 70% are using the computer over 2 hours a week.

Only 3% of the responders are not using the PC at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16)  How many hours a week do you usually surf the Internet

 

      

      

        Figure 16. Hours a week using Internet (all institutions involved)

 

A large number of users (63%) are using the internet more than 2 hours a week.

Only 6% of the responders are not surfing the internet at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17)  Range from 1 to 5

 

     

       Figure 17. Range from 1 to 5 (all institutions involved)

 

Most of the participants feel unsecured to change jobs, exposed to external risks through the internet and don’t really see how the internet can help them in learning about new opportunities. Most of them don’t know much about E-working.

The best perceived option of the use of internet is seeking and obtaining information.