One of the characteristics of small towns in Spain with less than 10,000 inhabitants is that their population is older than that of urban areas. In rural Spain 27%, 3 out of 10 are 65 years old or older, compared to 18% of the rest. The digitalization of rural areas is key to the reactivation of these places and for the communication of their residents.
What are the digital habits like in those rural populations that do have Internet? 
If we focus on towns with less than 10,000 inhabitants, which currently have around 9.5 million people in 7,369 of the 8,131 municipalities in Spain, and which do have Internet, the cell phone (96%), the laptop PC (78%) and the desktop PC are the star devices for being the ones from which most people over 55 years of age connect to the Internet. Smart TV and Tablet or iPad, although to a lesser extent, are also used by just over 50%(53%).
According to data from the ASTEO Observatory, the top 3 main activities they perform when connected to the Internet are surfing (91%), sending and receiving e-mails (87%) and bank transactions (71%). The use of social networks, messaging and blogs reached 65%. Of the age groups, they use the Internet the least for watching movies/series/sports (42%), online shopping (36%), online courses (14%), medical consultations (10%) and online games (10%).
Digitization
According to the study, people aged 55 and over are those who attach most importance to the fact that, beyond providing rural populations with technological infrastructures, it is also necessary to guide the residents of these populations in the development of their digital skills (88%), likewise, 87% consider that digitization must be an inclusive process that contributes to the sustainable development of the rural world. For 7 out of 10, digitization is a key strategy to stop the depopulation of Empty Spain.
In this information from 65andMore you can find more information about the digital habits of the elderly in rural areas and the importance of bringing all people closer to the use of new technologies to reduce the digital divide.
