Older adults and internet use

Internet adoption

As of April 2012, 53% of American adults ages 65 and older use the internet or email.2 Though these adults are still less likely than all other age groups to use the internet, the latest data represent the first time that half of seniors are going online. After several years of very little growth among this group, these gains are significant. In August of 2008, 38% of adults ages 65 and older were online; by August of 2011, the share of seniors using the internet or email at least occasionally had barely inched up to 41%. However, by February of this year the number of online seniors had bumped up to 48%. In the latest survey, 53% said they used the internet or email.

Internet use by age group, 2000-2012

Among the next oldest age group that we commonly examine, adults ages 50-64, almost eight in ten (77%) use the internet, a proportion that has remained relatively steady over the past three years.

Overall, 82% of all American adults ages 18 and older say they use the internet or email at least occasionally, and 67% do so on a typical day.

Once online, internet use becomes a regular part of seniors’ lives.

Although half of adults ages 65 and older remain disconnected from the internet, once online, internet use becomes a fixture in everyday life for seniors. Overall, 82% of all adult internet users go online on an average day. Among adults age 65 and older, 70% use the internet on a typical day. That compares to:

  • 76% of the internet users ages 50-64 who go online on a typical day,
  • 86% of the internet users ages 30-49 who go online on a typical day
  • 87% of the internet users ages 18-29 who go online on a typical day.

These findings largely echo other recent research examining older adults’ use of technology. Once they are given the tools and training needed to start using the internet, they become fervent users of the technology.3

It is also now the case that once seniors start using the internet, they most often have access to high-speed connections at home. Among all adults ages 65 and older, 39% say they have a broadband connection at home, up from just 8% in 2005.4

Internet and home broadband use by age group

After age 75, internet and broadband use drops off significantly.

Looking more closely at the “G.I. generation” (those who are currently ages 76 and older) reveals a starkly different reality. Internet adoption among this group has only reached 34% as of April 2012, and  home broadband use has inched up to 21%.

Few among this oldest segment of the population are likely to start using the internet without some assistance and encouragement. In 2010, when non-users from the G.I. Generation population were asked if they felt they knew enough about computers and technology to start using the internet and email on their own, 68% said they did not feel confident enough and would need someone to help them get online.5 Perceived relevancy is also a major issue for this group, as 38% of non-users in the G.I. Generation population say that the main reason they don’t use the internet or email is that they’re “just not interested.” Only 4% of non-internet users in the G.I. Generation population said they would like to start using the internet and email in the future.6

Notes

2 In the latest Pew Internet survey, internet users are defined as those who say “yes” to at least one of the following three questions: “Do you use the internet, at least occasionally?” OR “Do you send or receive email, at least occasionally?” OR “Do you access the internet on a cell phone, tablet or other mobile handheld device, at least occasionally?” From January 2005 through February 2012, an internet user was defined as someone who said “yes” to at least one of two questions: “Do you use the internet, at least occasionally?” OR “Do you send or receive email, at least occasionally?” When compared with the old definition, the new definition results in a one-percentage-point increase for those ages 65 and older (not a significant difference). Prior to January 2005, an internet user was someone who said “yes” to one question: “Do you ever go online to access the Internet or World Wide Web or to send and receive email?”

3 See, for instance, “Older Adults and OATS Computer Training Programs: A Social Impact Analysis Report,” Prepared by Paula J. Gardner, The New York Academy of Medicine Division of Health Policy, April 2010. OATS.org

4 For more detail, see “Home Broadband 2008,” by John Horrigan: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Home-Broadband-2008.aspx

5 The “G.I. Generation” is defined as American adults who were born in the year 1936 or earlier. Therefore, at the time of this study (April and May of 2010), the G.I. Generation population included adults who were then age 74 and older. http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Generations-2010/Introduction/Defining-Generations.aspx

6 For more information about general trends in home broadband adoption, see “Home Broadband 2010,” by Aaron Smith: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Home-Broadband-2010.aspx

The data used in this report is available at http://pewinternet.org/Shared-Content/Data-Sets/2010/May-2010--Cell-Phones.aspx

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Copyright 2013 Pew Internet & American Life Project

The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project is one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center. The Center is supported by The Pew Charitable Trust.