There’s a possibility that society may go cashless in an effort to stem COVID-19, as some experts believe the virus may linger on paper money. There’s just one hitch to converting to a cashless society, according to Plamen Nikolov, an assistant professor of economics at Binghamton University — and that’s senior citizens who may not be tech-savvy enough to manage electronic transactions.
Currently, only about 1 in 3 Americans under age 50 doesn’t use cash in a typical week, but for those who are older, than number diminishes to 1 in 5. Resistance to a cashless world, plus lack of knowledge on how to use mobile forms of payment may also impact the types of expenditures older Americans make in a cashless society, Nikolov said.
SOURCE: Binghamton University July 22, 2020