Abstract
The purpose of the article is to assess the characteristics of the actual dataset obtained in an online-based research project interested in the digitization of later life in four countries by comparing it to the planned sample. It aims is to make visible the consequences of usual constraints –technical or not, and common uncritical assumptions to contribute to fighting unnoticed forms of ageism in the area. Compared to the online adult population, the collected sample shows imbalances that must be taken into account in the analysis of the results: there are more men than women, they are younger and better educated than the average online population. The characteristics of the individuals who effectively participated in the research project reflect the existing digital divide, which remains of particular relevance among the older age groups of the population. We do argue that empirical research on digital practices, being it conducted through online channels or not, must clearly state the age range of the sample and acknowledge the limitations in reaching the older old. It is critical to follow such a strategy to avoid generalizations that, in fact, disregard the older old and, therefore, contribute to reinforce ageism.
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Acknowledgments
The research project BConnect@Home (https://www.jp-demographic.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BCONNECT_2017_conf2018_brochure.pdf.) is funded by the JTP 2017 - JPI More Years, Better Lives (Grant Agreement 363850), and the Spanish funding body is the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MINECO, ref. PCI-2017-080). MINECO also supported the first two authors with personal grants ref. CAS19/00041 (Fernández-Ardèvol), and IJCI-2017-32162 (Rosales).
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Fernández-Ardèvol, M., Rosales, A., Morey, F. (2020). Methods Matter: Assessment of the Characteristics of a Sample to Analyze Digital Practices and Social Connectedness in Later Life. In: Gao, Q., Zhou, J. (eds) Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population. Technology and Society. HCII 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12209. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50232-4_5
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