Grandpas & Grandmas Online. Interesting Survey...

Seniors Online: Few, but Fervent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Only 15 percent of those aged 65 and
older are Internet savvy, but as a group those seniors are
fervent users, with 69 percent going online on a typical day,
according to a poll of 4,335 older Americans released on
Sunday.
That compares to 56 percent of all Americans who go online,
said the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which conducted
the survey from March to December 2000.
The survey showed that wired seniors were more likely than
their peers to be married, highly educated and enjoying
relatively high retirement incomes.
Women outnumber men among senior citizens by 141 to 100,
but 60 percent of online seniors are men, while only 40 percent
are women, the poll found. It noted that the statistics
mirrored those of the early Internet population.
But older women were coming online at faster rates than
other age groups. More than half of all senior citizens who
have gone online in the past six months are women, the poll
showed.
Once online, 93 percent of seniors said they had used
e-mail; 58 percent had found hobby information; 55 percent had
read the news; 53 percent had searched for health and medical
information; 53 percent had browsed the Internet ``just for
fun;'' and 53 percent had checked weather updates.
By contrast, young Internet users were more likely to
identify work-related research or shopping as their top
activities.
Fifty-six percent of online seniors said the Internet has
improved their connections with family members, reporting that
they are communicating more often with a daughter or son, now
that they use e-mail.
Generally, seniors were less likely than other age groups
to have sampled other Internet services, such as downloading
music, banking online or joining in online chat sessions.
The age group just behind the seniors -- people aged 50 to
64 -- were three times more likely to have Internet access, the
survey found. Fifty-one percent of people in this age group
reported having Internet access.
``Internet users aged 50-64 are likely to keep their
Internet access even after they retire and this 'silver
tsunami' may be the generation that takes advantage of all the
Internet has to offer them as they get older,'' the pollsters
wrote.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus one
percentage point. The full report is available on
www.pewinternet.org.

Hi Simon,

Interesting article. Speaking personally, my in-laws are well into their 80's, are not what you would call technology-inclined, yet they spend a happy part of every day online with their web tv. It has been a godsend for us. Since we live in another country, it has allowed us constant and immediate communication with them.

It also brings up an interesting point: how many of our senior friends would enjoy running an Internet business? They have time, they are often very caring people, and sometimes they are eager to befriend others from the comfort of their homes. (Now I realize this is a generalization.) However, many of these folks might enjoy contacting, befriending, and sponsoring other people.

Hmmm.....

Blessings,

Brenda


Let Me Help You Build a Solid Internet Business.

> Once online, 93 percent of seniors said they
> had used e-mail; 58 percent had found hobby

I had to pipe in. My 81 year old father bought his first computer (a laptop) 3 years ago, and has already upgraded to an iBook. He uses it for email, researching investments on the Web, and doing taxes, but is still pretty resistent to doing much more. While he doesn't yet want his own web site, last week he asked me to scan some photos and put up a description on my site of the timeshare he's selling. I'm hoping the next step will be transferring the details to his own site. But he likes the idea of having his own page (and 6 jpgs) on my site. Having the ability to send an email with the page link to potential buyers makes him feel more powerful. I think with seniors the key is gradual exposure in very small increments. But, pretty soon he'll be teaching me how to do things!


Niche and maverick speakers

"Fervent" doesn't describe Mom. I gave her and Dad their first computer about 8 years ago. Dad learned to play solitaire. Six weeks after I gave it to them, Mom called me up and asked me which was the best "unzip" program for the files she'd been downloading. Mom, to our surpise, turned out to be the tech whiz of the family.

For Father's day, I gave Dad a Palm VII. You guessed it -- Mom has him organized and lets him play Solitaire on it. Meanwhile she kidnaps it to do stock quotes on and nab street maps as they travel.

Maybe we should get mom her own PalmPilot?

BTW, she turns 79 this year.