Tech-Savvy Seniors: Half of U.S. Adults Over 65 Are Online

Article originally appeared on:  Mashable.com

For the first time ever, more than half of U.S. adults over the age of 65 are online, from surfing the web to checking email, a new study suggests.

A report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 53% of seniors use the Internet. Although this demographic is still less likely to go online than younger age groups, it shows that this segment of the population is flocking to the web more than ever before.

In total, about 82% of all online Americans over age 18 access the Internet each day, while some 70% of seniors say they go online every day, as well.

But Internet usage tends to drop off after age 75, the report said. Only 34% of adults over 75 access the Internet and only 21% have broadband capabilities at home.

Other forms of technology are also popular among seniors. About 70% own a cell phone, which is up from 57% two years ago.

In addition, more seniors are accessing social networking sites. In fact, about 34% of Internet users age 65 and older use sites such as Facebook and Twitter — and 18% of this group do so each day.

This is a high number, especially considering 66% of all adult Internet users access social networking sites. However, the highest demographic using these sites is young adults ages 18 to 29.

Have you noticed an increase in older adults using the web and social networking sites? Let us know in the comments.

Source:  http://mashable.com/2012/06/07/senior-adults-online/