Only 46% of Elderly in Seoul Use Kiosks: "Difficult to Use and Feel Self-Conscious"

On the 25th, visitors are exploring various kiosks at the Smart Store · Retail Expo held at KINTEX in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. This expo, which runs until the 27th, offers an opportunity to experience smart retail technologies, products, and services all in one place. / Goyang = Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Elderly residents in Seoul still face difficulties using digital technologies such as kiosks, and one in five of them cannot solve problems on their own, relying instead on external help like phone inquiries. By district, central areas such as Jongno and Jung-gu showed higher digital competency levels, while northeastern areas like Seongdong, Gwangjin, and Jungnang were relatively lower.

On the 16th, the Seoul Digital Foundation announced the results of the "Seoul Citizens' Digital Competency Survey," conducted to assess the digital literacy, knowledge, and skills necessary in a digital society among 5,000 Seoul citizens aged 19 and older. This survey was conducted through household interviews over two months from October to December last year, targeting 5,000 Seoul citizens aged 19 and above. In particular, for an in-depth analysis of the elderly in preparation for a super-aged society, the elderly were subdivided into those aged 55 and above, 65 and above, and 75 and above.

The survey results showed that the digital competency levels of Seoul citizens were △Digital Attitude 64.6 points △Digital Technology Usage 64.1 points △Digital Information Understanding 63.1 points △Digital Safety 61.5 points, in that order, with ‘Critical Information Understanding’ (59.7 points) and ‘Security’ (52.6 points) response abilities being low.

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Among the elderly, when the overall citizen average is set to 100, the largest gap was in digital technology usage competency at 67.2%. Only 45.8% of the elderly had experience using kiosks, and those aged 75 and above found kiosks difficult to use, citing fast food restaurants (53.3%), cafes (45.7%), and restaurants (44.4%) as challenging places.

The reasons elderly people do not use kiosks were ‘not knowing how to use them or finding them difficult’ (33.8%), ‘no need’ (29.4%), and ‘feeling self-conscious about people behind them’ (17.8%), in that order. Notably, one in five elderly people could not resolve difficulties encountered while using digital devices and services, and their preferred methods of seeking external help were ‘phone inquiries (73.7%)’ and ‘visiting local support centers (45.3%).’

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There were differences by the five major regions. Central areas such as Jongno, Jung-gu, and Yongsan showed higher overall competency levels compared to the average, while northeastern areas like Seongdong, Gwangjin, Dongdaemun, and Jungnang were relatively lower. Additionally, the distribution rates of digital devices were smartphone (96.5%), computer (67.5%), tablet PC (21.0%), smartwatch/band (9.9%), AI speaker (9.0%), and feature phone (3.6%), with feature phone distribution notably higher among those aged 65?74 (5.3%) and 75 and above (18.1%).

Kang Yo-sik, Chairman of the Seoul Digital Foundation, said, “In a digital society, all citizens should be able to enjoy the opportunities and benefits brought by digital technology without exclusion or marginalization,” adding, “Based on the survey results, we plan to more thoroughly plan and expand digital inclusion projects.”

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