Using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), linked to administrative data on high-speed broadband availability from infrastructure maps, this study examines patterns of Internet uses and psychosocial outcomes for over 3500 people aged 50 plus across Ireland. High-speed broadband availability is associated with higher reported levels of home Internet access, greater frequency of Internet use and more engagement with Internet activities. Controlling for demographic and socio-economic circumstances, regression models show that quality of life is higher among daily users of the Internet. Little association is found with loneliness. Quality of life is higher among users of Internet-based communication applications such as email and video calls, and there is some evidence that loneliness may be less pronounced among users of these applications. The findings are consistent with the view that digital engagement can enhance the lives of older people and thus may be supportive of policies and interventions to address potential ‘grey’ digital divides.

中文翻译：

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高速宽带的可用性、老年人的互联网活动、生活质量和孤独感

本研究使用爱尔兰老龄化纵向研究 (TILDA) 的数据，与基础设施地图中有关高速宽带可用性的行政数据相关联，调查了爱尔兰 3500 多名 50 岁以上人群的互联网使用模式和社会心理结果。高速宽带的可用性与更高的家庭互联网接入水平、更高的互联网使用频率以及更多地参与互联网活动相关。在控制人口统计和社会经济环境的情况下，回归模型表明，互联网日常用户的生活质量更高。与孤独几乎没有联系。使用基于 Internet 的通信应用程序（例如电子邮件和视频通话）的用户的生活质量更高，并且有一些证据表明，在这些应用程序的用户中，孤独感可能不那么明显。研究结果与以下观点一致：数字参与可以改善老年人的生活，因此可能支持解决潜在“灰色”数字鸿沟的政策和干预措施。