China’s population: Beijing urged to build digitally inclusive society, as it seeks insights into technical skills of its elderly
- Questions for people aged 60 and above were added to a survey on population changes and the labour force, including their ability to use a smartphone
- A demographer urged China, one of the world’s fastest ageing countries, to ‘build a digitally inclusive society’, while firms were asked to produce age-friendly products
China is seeking to gain more insights into the digital literacy of its elderly population as it attempts to find ways to better accommodate its rapidly ageing demographic in an increasingly intelligent society.
New questions on smartphone usage for people aged 60 and above were added to a survey on population changes and the labour force conducted at the end of 2022, and published recently by the National Bureau of Statistics in the 2023 China Population and Employment Statistical Yearbook.
They included their ability to use a smartphone, and whether they could perform certain tasks, including chatting, making payments, shopping and reading the news.
This is essential for decision-making and is also a prerequisite for businesses to design intelligent products
“[Finding out the answers to] how the smart society in the future should include and embrace the elderly, and how the elderly should adapt to a technologically advanced lifestyle, necessitate first-hand investigation data and an accurate understanding of the reality,” said Yuan Xin, vice-president of the China Population Association.
“This is essential for decision-making, and is also a prerequisite for businesses to design intelligent products.”