Overview

Digital technology is gaining great importance as a health tool in today’s world, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns during the pandemic have highlighted how important access to online services is for vulnerable populations, especially older people. Thus, it is crucial to examine the level of digital access enjoyed by older people from different socio-economic groups and provide robust evidence on the issue. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from 40 municipalities in nationwide Japan and two local regions in Myanmar, this report finds evidence of a strong association between frequent Internet use and good health and well-being, mainly low depression risk, high self-rated health, greater capability for activities of daily living (ADL), and well-connected social relationships. These associations were not affected by income, educational attainment, or other socio-economic factors. The report also provides clear evidence of the digital divide among older people belonging to different socio-economic groups and residential regions in both countries. Bridging this divide should be a priority of policymakers. As Internet use becomes more and more essential in our day-to-day lives, people left behind in the digital wave are likely to face many disadvantages, physically, mentally, and socially. The evidence this report provides of the divide in digital technologies and health among older people is a stepping-stone for future work to investigate public health problems emerging from the aftermath of the current pandemic at local, national, and global levels.