Probing Perspectives
Does Internet Use Worsen Old-age Loneliness during Pandemics?: A Gendered Analysis of the SHARE Data View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Emanuela Sala, Federica Cretazzo, Daniele Zaccaria
Despite the potential role that Internet use may have played in alleviating older people’s loneliness during the Covid-19 outbreak, there is still a shortage of (quantitative) research on this topic. This study contributes to filling in this gap by investigating the relationship between Internet use and old-age loneliness across Europe from a gendered perspective, adopting a comprehensive approach that considers individual and contextual-level factors as possible drivers of old-age loneliness during pandemics. We adopt multilevel modeling, to analyze data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (Wave 8 and Corona Survey 1), augmented with data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and the Eurostat Digital Agenda Scoreboard Key Indicators. Although the bivariate analysis has documented that Internet use is a protective factor against loneliness both for older men and women, the multilevel analysis has shown that the association between these two variables is spurious. Interestingly, the mechanisms at play are different. For older men, individual and country-level variables are the main drivers of the spurious relationship whereas for older women, this relationship may be driven by individual-level factors that remain unaccounted for in our modeling strategy (e.g., variation in attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions towards the Internet, reflecting differences in cross-country social and cultural norms).
Identifying Active Aging Policy Objectives in Italian Regions View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Davide Lucantoni, Giovanni Lamura, Andrea Principi, Valerio Intraligi, Francesco Barbabella, Marco Socci
In recent decades, population aging has become a priority for international and national policy makers, resulting in the emergence of new social and policy needs. To address these new challenges, the active aging concept suggests a valid perspective, although its operationalization at the policy level has often highlighted some critical issues which have limited its breadth and scope. In this respect, the scientific literature mainly refers to: the limited extent of inter-sectorial and multi-level collaboration; the lack of stakeholders’ involvement in policy-making processes, and a predominantly productivist orientation vs holistic approaches to ensure a broad participation of older people in society. Against the policy background provided by the United Nations (i.e. the Madrid International Plan of Action of Ageing, and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development), this paper aims to identify a set of policy objectives on the subject of active aging, by considering the three critical aspects mentioned above, in order to understand the extent to which such aspects are managed, by Italian Regions. Policy objectives are identified through a multi-level and multi-year participatory process involving a wide stakeholders’ network, including both central and regional public administrations and civil society organizations. The results reveal three macro-groups of regions with similar policy objectives.
Ageing, Care Poverty and Inequalities in Italy: An Intersectional Perspective
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marco Arlotti
As in other European countries, the issue of care poverty among older people is crucial in Italy. This research topic has been already investigated in the literature, by also considering the relation between care poverty and social inequalities. Against this background, this paper aims to further expand such debate by adopting an intersectional perspective. The study is focused on older people living at home in Italy. A quantitative analysis is performed to consider an empirical basis for the information collected within the European Health Interview Survey (2019, last wave available).
