5.4 Policy Pointers

In our Policy Briefing you can find out how CTC has responded to four key challenges affecting many of the 11 million over 65’s in the UK. These are:

1. Social isolation: Older people living in the UK often report feeling isolated and lonely.  
2. Digital exclusion: Since 2011, research shows that older adults aged 65+ make up the highest proportion of adult internet non-users. 
3. Low cultural participation: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, older people are still the least likely group to have returned to in-person creative and cultural activity to the same level as pre-pandemic
4.  Exclusive design processes: Digital products, services, and activities are often not appropriately tailored to older adults, who are also rarely invited to participate in their conceptualisation and/or production. 

Our research has investigated these issues from a perspective of inclusion and social justice, as well as wellbeing. We have developed approaches based on co-design, for delivering good practice, on the grounds that it leads to better outcomes for older minoritised adults, but we have also learned a great deal about how these practices can be supported by policy. Here are five policy recommendations crystallised from our findings.  In concrete terms, they provide a blueprint for strategies that work to include a wider range of people in digital cultural activities, leading to better wellbeing and connection. 

To read our Policy Briefing in full please click here