Chile. The National Television Council, CNTV, through its Department of Studies released a report on "Older Adults and their representation on screen." The research, which collects the main data from the X National Television Survey (2021), as well as three focus groups carried out in 2020, reveals that this segment, 72%, says they have "little space" on the screen.
"Today older adults are the segment that watches television the most and the least on it. It is their main means of information and company and we see with concern that they do not feel reflected in it. There is a demand for more dignified and non-paternalistic treatment of the elderly. This group must be represented as one of autonomous, empowered people and active members of society," said CNTV President Faride Zerán.
The study reveals that 53% of the elderly watch open television "every or almost every day of the week" with an average consumption of 5 to 6 hours a day, even reaching 9 hours in the case of women.
It is also the main source of information. 82% are informed through it. In second place is the radio with 55% of the preferences. Social networks appear for the first time in third place with 36% of mentions.
In relation to the news, and the assessments of older adults, 73% consider "that they spend a lot of time on irrelevant topics" and 53% say that "they offer information showing different points of view."
The pandemic, as the study reveals, caused an interesting feature in this segment. First, that many older people had to forcibly learn to use devices and applications that, until now, they had not used or did not know.
On the other hand, almost all the participants of the focus groups stated that television transmitted a lot of fear and anxiety during the pandemic, a situation that would not have been reversed.
Today 71.4% of all older adults own a smartphone, but the figure is only 43.8% in the sub-group of those over 80. 57.9% have Smart TV and 33.3% have a notebook.
To learn about the full study, click here.
