Growing old with the Web

Prevailing wisdom holds that the Internet is the province of teens and young adults.  Adults 55 years and older are often painted as a group that is either clumsy with, or simply not interested in the Internet.  However, this portrait is far from the truth.  In fact, older adults are one of the fastest growing segments on the web.  This year alone the number of adults 55 years and older going online has grown by 20% to over 27 million unique individuals (comScore Media Metrix).  This growth is fueled by the Internet’s ability to offer older adults instant access to a wealth of information on topics as diverse as hobbies and entertainment to news and health care.  To better understand the Internet’s place in the media hierarchy of older online adults, BURST! recently surveyed nearly 1,000 web users 55 years and older on their use of various forms of broadcast media, and reasons for using the Internet.

ü      Three out of Five Older Adults Say They Use the Internet More Than a Year Ago

Three out of five (60.7%) online adults 55 years and older say they use the Internet more today than they did a year ago.  This result is dramatic when compared to other forms of broadcast media.  In fact, few respondents say their consumption of other specific forms of broadcast media increased during the past year – and significant segments say it actually declined.   Compared to a year ago, more than one-third (36.6%) of respondents say they spend less time reading magazines; 44.1% spend less time reading newspapers; 44.0% spend less time listening to the radio; and 43.6% spend less time watching television.

Respondents are not only spending more time using the Internet, but also going to more websites.  Two-thirds (65.5%) of respondents say they are going to more websites today compared to a year ago (34.5% say “many more”).

 

ü      Advantage of the Internet – Access Any Time of the Day & Accurate Information

Online adults 55 years and older cite the ability to access content anytime of the day (69.2%), and more accurate information (67.5%) as the primary advantages of using the Internet versus television, radio, magazines or newspapers.  These attributes are followed by “content I cannot find on television, radio, magazines or newspapers”, which is cited by more than half (57.9%) of respondents as an Internet advantage.  Other attributes noted by survey respondents as an Internet advantage versus other forms of broadcast media include; content that is up to date (45.6%), ability to access from many locations (33.7%), and better/more focused content (32.8%).

 

ü      Reasons to Use the InternetInformation Gathering & Communicating with Others

More than half of survey respondents cite gathering information for personal needs (56.3%), and communicating with others (53.6%) as reasons they use the Internet.  Respondents also cite surfing for news, sports and weather information (48.8%) as well as researching product information (43.0%) as reasons to use the Internet.

Other uses of the Internet noted by survey respondents include; travel related research and transactions (34.7%), education (33.0%), making online purchases (32.1%), personal finance (31.1%), work/business (26.8%), entertainment information (25.7%), and gaming (21.7%).  Interestingly, it is on this last attribute that the largest gender gap occurs.  Whereas, nearly one-third (30.3%) of online women 55 years and older say they use the Internet for game playing, only 15.8% of online men 55 years and older say they use the Internet for gaming.

 

ü      Nearly All Use Internet to Find Healthcare Information

Three-quarters (77.1%) of online adults 55 years and older use the Internet to search for heath care information.   Within this segment, one-quarter (26.3%) say they research health care information at least once a week: and one-third (31.4%) say they search for health care information less frequently than once a week, but at least once a month.   There is no significant difference in the level of frequency in which women and men 55 years and older search the Internet for health care information.  Survey findings show 28.1% of online women 55 years and older search the Internet at least once a week for health care information – and 24.9% of online men 55 years and older do so.

 

ü      Most Sought Health Information - Symptoms and Treatment for Illness

One-half (53.4%) of online adults 55 years and older say they use the Internet to gather information about specific illnesses’ symptoms; and 50.2% say they use it to find information regarding treatments for a specific illness.   Survey respondents also use the Internet to find information concerning specific drugs or remedies (42.4%), nutrition (30.1%), vitamins and supplements (25.2%), health plans and coverage (including Medicare) (21.8%), diet or weight loss programs (20.4%), non-prescription/OTC remedies (19.7%) and heath and beauty aids (12.3%).

With the exception of information on diet and weight loss programs, men and women 55 years and older seek similar healthcare information online.   One-quarter (25.5%) of women 55 years and older seek information of diet and weight loss programs – compared to 16.8% of men 55 years and older.

How you can use this information;

The Internet is an Important Media to Reach Adults 55 Years and Older.   The 55 years and older segment is integrating the Internet into their daily lives.   In fact, for this segment the Internet is rapidly replacing other broadcast media as the primary source for entertainment, news and information.    As you develop a media plan to reach this important target, recognize the role the Internet has in their lives and leverage the vast content of the Internet to reach this rapidly emerging online segment.

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About BURST! Media

BURST! Media is the most reliable online network for discriminating publishers and advertisers who value integrity, performance and personalized support.  BURST! delivers 4 billion advertising impressions for over 2,000 websites every month.   According to comScore Media Metrix, BURST! reaches 1 in 3 people online and is among the 20 largest online media properties in terms of unique visitors and reach.  BURST! helps thousands of web publishers generate sustainable revenue by providing them with tools and expertise, including; ad sales, email newsletter management, and community forums for learning.  The company, founded in 1995, is based near Boston, and was recently named the 11th fastest growing private company in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal.

 

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