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German senior citizens have developed considerably in terms of digital participation in recent years. This is the conclusion of the latest SIM study, which was conducted by the Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (mpfs) and the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg and has now been presented.

It is only the second SIM Studio ever. SIM stands for Seniors in Media and is of course based on the other series of studies that the mpfs has been conducting since 1998.  The core of the work continues to be the investigation of media use by young people and children, which is surveyed annually and every two years in the JIM and KIM studies.

The latest SIM study shows that media equipment is also becoming increasingly comprehensive with new types of devices, even in old age. Although smartphones and PCs do not yet reach the full equipment level of almost 100 per cent, as is the case with televisions, for example, the proportion of senior households in Germany with a smartphone has risen by 11 percentage points to 83 per cent in just three years. The proportion of computers rose by 4 percentage points to 81 per cent and that of tablets by 10 percentage points to 58 per cent. In contrast to children and young people, consoles and handhelds were not explicitly surveyed. 

> "The figures show: Media literacy has long been a key skill for older people to participate in social life in a self-determined way. More and more older people are being drawn to the Internet, while at the same time there is a great need for support services."<BR>– Dr Marc Jan Eumann, Director of the Rhineland-Palatinate Media Authority

Accordingly, the values collected for gaming relate exclusively to online and mobile games. Here, the studio makes a fundamental distinction between online and offline users. In Germany, 87 per cent of all senior citizens over the age of 60 use the internet at least infrequently. That is 6 percentage points more than three years ago. Unsurprisingly, usage decreases with age. However, at least among 60 to 69-year-olds, 96 per cent now use the Internet at least infrequently.

The most common online activities are using search engines, WhatsApp and other short messaging services and writing and receiving emails. Between 84 and 77 per cent of online seniors engage in these activities at least once a week.

But entertainment is not neglected either. 40 per cent use TV channel media libraries, 31 per cent video portals and 21 per cent social media at least once a week. Gaming follows close behind with 19 per cent. Unusually, the figures for gaming once a month and less than once a month are relatively low at 6 and 3 per cent respectively, resulting in a large proportion of non-gamers at 73 per cent. This leads to the conclusion that German seniors either do not play at all or play very regularly.

> "The digital world offers senior citizens in particular a wide range of opportunities – from making everyday life easier to information and participation opportunities. The fact that the use of digital applications is increasing across all age groups surveyed is pleasing and confirms that we are on the right track as a media organisation to focus on the 60+ generation in the area of media literacy and to support them on their way online"<BR>– Dr Wolfgang Kreißig, President of the Landesanstalt für Kommunikation Baden-Württemberg (LFK) 

It is also interesting to note that there is also a gender gap among senior citizens who play games. However, this is the opposite of that of children and young people. In fact, according to SIM-Studio, 23 per cent of women over 60 who are online play at least once a week and only 15 per cent of men.


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German Seniors Play Regulary or They Don't Play at All