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How older people watch television
 — telemetric data on the TV use in Germany in 1996
Author(s)Andreas Grajczyk, Oliver Zöllner
Journal titleGerontology, vol 44, no 3, May-June 1998
Pagespp 176-181
KeywordsTelevision [media] ; Social surveys ; Germany.
AnnotationThis study has been prompted by the relatively small body of knowledge on media use by older people. Data collected in a representative `peoplemeter' panel of some 4,800 German television households was analysed to find out how people aged 50 and older use television. In 1996, they watched an average of 233 minutes of television per day. This subgroup appears to comprise the most intensive users of the medium. Men aged 65 and over are the heaviest weekend TV watchers, while older women are closest followers Monday to Friday. Television programmes in the late afternoon and early evening have the best chances of being chosen by older people. Their affinity for the medium can be explained by its potential for offering entertainment, information and companionship, being a substitute for primary interpersonal communication, a tool for structuring time patterns, and keeping up the rhythms of long-established everyday rituals. Television can be a `lifeline' and a `window to the outside world' for people with little opportunity for direct, unmediated social contact, thus possibly raising their life satisfaction. On the other hand, prolonged TV use may be seen as an indicator of loneliness and neglect experienced by older people. (RH).
Accession NumberCPA-980827225 A
ClassmarkUKL: 3F: 767

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