Regarding the attitudes of Canadians toward computers, the 16 to 25 age group had the highest proportion of users with positive attitudes in most areas (Table 10). The only exception was the perception of whether computers have helped the user reach their career goals, where individuals aged 26 to 35 years were more likely to feel this way (54.9%). This would be an expected result since some in the 16 to 25 year age group would not have yet started their careers.
| Age group | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 25 | 26 to 35 | 36 to 45 | 46 to 55 | 56 to 65 | Ratio youngest age group: oldest | |
| % of computer users who agree with the statement | ||||||
| Computers have made it easier for me to get useful information | 93,6 | 91,5 | 88,2 | 86,8 | 78,5 | 1,2 |
| My level of computer skills meets my present needs | 91,2 | 83,9 | 76,4 | 72,5 | 73,0 | 1,2 |
| Computers have helped me to communicate with people | 82,2 | 79,0 | 72,5 | 71,5 | 62,7 | 1,3 |
| Computers have made it possible for me to get more done in less time | 80,4 | 74,8 | 66,9 | 64,5 | 57,3 | 1,4 |
| Computers have helped me learn new skills other than computer skills | 72,2 | 69,5 | 60,7 | 56,3 | 45,2 | 1,6 |
| I feel comfortable installing or upgrading computer software | 59,0 | 59,0 | 44,8 | 36,6 | 31,8 | 1,9 |
| Computers have helped me reach my occupational (career) goals | 45,3 | 54,9 | 46,5 | 43,0 | 33,2 | 1,4 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, 2003
The higher perceived usefulness of computers among young users in general may not come as a surprise in light of the variety of activities young individuals perform on computers, the time they devote to these activities, and the fact that they have grown up during a time of widespread computer use. Of the measures obtained, the one that varied the most was the users’ level of comfort installing or upgrading software. A majority (59.0%) of those in the two youngest age groups felt they were comfortable performing these tasks, while only a minority of those over age 35 felt this way. It should be noted that although the youngest age group had the highest proportion of users with a positive outlook on computer use, these attitudes were also quite common among all other age groups. Indeed, positive attitudes were commonplace, but users were divided on whether they felt comfortable installing software on their computers and whether in fact computers had helped them reach their occupational goals.
Many studies have found gender differences in patterns of computer use. For example, in Canada one study found that with the exception of word processing, men were more likely than women to use computers for a range of common tasks (Marshall 2001). In the United Kingdom, men have also been found to perform slightly better than women on a practical performance assessment of ICT skills, and also to have higher awareness of ICTs (DfES 2003). The fact that men were more likely to be frequent users of computers is suggested as a reason for much of the difference in performance (DfES 2003). Access to ICTs is found to be lowest among unemployed women (Commission of the European Communities 2002).