Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The purpose of this study was to discover the use made by old people of postal and telephone services and also their personal health and social contacts. Main Topics:Section on telephone ownership and use: reason for having telephone installed, whether respondent's telephone bills are subsidised, if so, from what source. (If respondent has no telephone, nearest telephone to his home (6 categories), whether anyone is available to take messages or fetch him to the telephone and whether respondent has ever owned a telephone, is recorded.) Data are given on the use made of telephone during last year (i.e. frequency of use, whether respondent receives more calls than he makes, person to whom he most often speaks on telephone). Any difficulty in actually using a telephone is recorded (6 categories - e.g. deafness, fear of telephones etc.). Finally, if respondent could choose between having an extra $20 per annum and having a free telephone, which he would prefer. Use of post: whether respondent writes letters, if so, to whom he most often writes, frequency of writing, whether he receives more personal letters than he sends. The address of the person with whom he is most in postal contact is recorded. Main difficulty respondent experiences when writing letters is recorded (i.e. poor eyesight, illiteracy etc. - 5 categories) and, finally, respondent is asked whether he would like to receive more letters (3-point scale). Personal physical information: state of eyesight and hearing of respondent is given (4 categories for each), whether he suffers from any disability which makes it difficult to go out (if yes, nature of disability is recorded together with length of time he has suffered). Whether respondent is able to go out unaided, if so, how often. Frequency of use of various methods of transportation (8 categories - e.g. train, bus, invalid carriage etc.), whether the railway station, tube station...