Older internet users are using the internet more heavily compared to this time a year ago, with a new study from Burst Media! showing that 61% of users aged 55 and over have increased their online presence.
The survey revealed that the majority of respondents, 65.5%, visited more websites than they did this time last year, with 34.5% saying they visit “many more” sites today than last year.
According to Burst! this increased internet usage is to the detriment of traditional media, with 44% of the demographic claiming to spend less time watching television compared to this time last year. The same percentage spent less time reading newspapers, while 37% neglected magazine consumption.
Reasons for the uptake of online culture among older users surround the immediacy associated with the internet, with 69% claiming the on-demand nature of the internet gave it an edge and 68% saying the internet has more accurate information than offline media.
About 60% said that the internet was superior because it offered information that could not be found in other media.
Burst!’s study confirms earlier findings claiming that the internet is attracting older users, with nearly half of those aged 55 or older saying that the technology has given them a new lease of life, using the medium to look for love online and play games (see Internet Attracting Older Users).
Despite this uptake, there is still a substantial divide between older and younger internet users, with research from Eurostat finding that among 16-24 year olds, the proportion of internet users was three times higher than among the 55-64 year old population (see Europe Broadband Penetration Divided By Age And Education).
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