AGE-WELL commissioned surveys by Environics in 2019 and 2020 which collected data on a combined total of 1923 older adults aged 65 years and older in Canada. The surveys looked at how older adults think about and use technology, with the 2020 survey additionally questioning how COVID-19 has impacted their use and attitudes towards technology. Two papers were developed as a result of the data findings, published in Frontiers in Public Health journal and SAGE Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society journal.

STAR provided project management support and AGE-WELL co-Scientific Directors Drs. Alex Mihailidis and Andrew Sixsmith (STAR Director), AGE-WELL's Dorina Simeonov, and STAR Research Assistant Becky Horst co-wrote the papers.

First Paper: Demographic and Psychographic Factors of Social Isolation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Importance of Technology Confidence

Second Paper: Older People’s Use of Digital Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic