Where Do Wired Seniors Go Online?

Story:

In this remarkable free study from the Pew Charitable Trust, seniors are rapidly making up ground on the Internet. Senior citizens make up 13% of the U.S. population, but only 4% of those online. This survey worked with 4,335 people aged 65 and over.

Here are some of the favorite activities of seniors online:

• E-mail (93% of seniors have read or sent e-mail. On a typical day, they send more e-mail than the average Internet user.
• Hobbies (58% have searched the web for information about their hobbies; 12% do so on a typical day.)
• Investments (44% of seniors have looked up stock quotes online; 12% trade stocks online)
• Health (53% of online seniors have sought health-related information online; 7% on a typical day).

Analysis:

The group of seniors online spans all income levels, but is mostly male. There are good opportunities here in selling products related to the areas of enthusiasm shown above. Be careful when asking them for information; 61% of those 65 and older say they are very concerned about business and people they don't know getting personal information online.

Link:

Click here for the story (opens in new window)