17 December 2007
The fear of being defrauded through surfing the web - such as being caught up in a credit card scam - is stopping many older people from going online.
According to a study from the Post Office, around 41% of over-50s fear the card fraud most of all - making it by far the biggest internet worry.
Older people were also confused by online jargon while on the web - with 31% highlighting it as a concern.
Gary Hockey Morley, marketing director at the Post Office, said that this web exclusion could have profound social effects if not addressed.
"Today's non-line community, the 17 million UK households that are not yet internet-enabled, will become increasingly excluded as more services are delivered online," he added.
Indeed a separate study from Demos, reported by the BBC today, states that government initiatives to encourage Britain's elderly to go online could lead to big savings in services.
According to the think-tank's research, a total cut of £400 million could be achieved in the long run through such "silver surfer" education programmes.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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