Older Americans’ Web Use Starting to Mirror the Younger Demographic [7/18/2008]

The online conduct of older Americans (those 50 and older) is increasingly matching that of a younger demographic, according to a study conducted by the The Center for the Digital Future in conjunction with AARP.

For example, recent study findings show that almost 70 percent (68%) of those aged 50 and older often engage in online browsing of retail stores and making purchases online. This is compared to 72% of those under 50 who do so, a difference of only 4 percentage points.

Slightly more than three quarters (76%) of older Americans relayed that the Internet is a vital source of information for them. This is only 9 percentage points less than those who are under 20 years of age (i.e., 85%). This represents a sharp increase of 51% in the five year span between the years 2000 and 2007.

More interesting statistics of note include:

News Rules: Just over forty percent (42%) of older Americans log on to check the news several times per day; only 18% of those aged 20 or younger did so.

Online Community Involvement: Of older Americans who were part of an online community, almost sixty percent (58%) log on at least once a day, sometimes several times a day. Not even half (47%) of those aged 20 or younger did so.

Online community involvement is very important to older Americans, which is reflected in their activism and enhancing their social lives. Thirty-six percent said they’ve increased their social activism since becoming a part of an online community that backed social causes. Only 29% of those under 20 said the same.

One area where older and younger Americans matched enthusiasm was in using the Internet to maintain social relationships (46% of those 50 and older and those 20 and younger admitted this).

Seniors Play Video Games: Only four percentage points separated older Americans from the younger demographic when it comes to playing video games online. 18% of older Americans said they logged on daily or several times a day to play, while 22% of those under 50 did so.

Older Americans Lag: A few areas still remain the domain of younger users, e.g., instant messaging and video downloading. While 48% of those aged 20 or younger said instant messaging was key to maintaining social relationships for them, only 9% of those over 50 said so. Only 9% of users 50 years and older said instant messaging was important in maintaining social relationships, compared to 48% of users under 20.

Overall, these stats disprove the theory that older Americans simply dabble online. In many areas, these statistics highlight that they are almost as involved as the rest of the population online.

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