Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Americans 55+ Using Web More; Traditional Media Less
bySomeone the other day said to me, “I realize the Web is a fast growing communications medium, but isn’t most of that growth among younger demographics?” Well, there is an easy answer for that: “No.”
The latest evidence comes from a Burst Media survey (see story in eMarketer). The survey shows a rapid shift among people age 55+ from time spent with traditional media to time spent online. Among the survey respondents in this age group, 60.7 percent said they used the Internet more this year compared to last year.
Also, according to statistics from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 71 percent of Americans, ages 50-64, now use the Internet.
So where is the additional time spent online coming from in this 55+ age group? The survey reveals that:
44.1% are spending less time reading newspapers than a year ago
44.0% are spending less time listening to radio
43.6% are spending less time watching television
36.6% are spending less time reading magazines
Those are dramatic shifts in just a year.
What type of sites do people in the 55+ age group access the most? Like the general public they use the Web for various reasons, but a couple of clear winners are healthcare information and financial services.
As an added bonus, the higher the income level, the more time spent online within this age group. Over 92 percent of households with combined incomes of $75,000 or more are online. Add in the fact that people 50+ generally have high disposable income and you are left with the conclusions that this age group is rapidly assimilating the Web into their daily lives and they are an attractive group for marketers to reach.
