Would you be willing to have robots look after you in your old age? A new study by Ekaterina Hertog finds that men and women think differently about this.

Men are more willing to be cared for by robots in their old age than women, finds a new Oxford Internet Institute and University of Melbourne study.

This new peer-reviewed study from our Senior Research Fellow and Professor of AI and Society, Ekaterina Hertog, and Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Brendan Churchill, Senior Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne, reveals that men are much more likely to support the idea of being cared for in their homes by a robot when they are infirm or elderly than women.

The study, published in the journal Community, Work and Family, draws on data from 28 European countries, factoring in local determinants such as GDP, women’s labour force participation rates, and spending on elderly care. It assesses people's attitudes towards having robots caring for oneself, providing services and companionship, when one is infirm or elderly.

Find out more about the study on the Oxford University website or read the full paper, “Silicon caregivers: A multilevel analysis of European perspectives on robotic technologies for elderly care,” in Community, Work, and Family.

Dr Hertog shared insights from the report when she spoke to presenter, Sophie Law, on the BBC Radio Oxford breakfast show. You can listen on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0k0pjf9; interview at 07:51-07:56.