COMPUTER, INTERNET USE SOAR FOR ELDERS
Computer use among adults age 50 or older has jumped in the last three years. Nearly 6 in 10 of computer owners spend time daily on their home computers, and almost 8 in 10 use their computers at least a few times per week, according to a new survey published by SeniorNet and commissioned by the investment firm Charles Schwab and Company, both based in San Francisco.
The survey was designed to determine how many older adults have access to computers and the Internet, how often they use the computer, whether they use online services and e-mail, and if they use the Internet for financial purposes. The survey included 603 randomly selected individuals age 50 or older.
In a similar study conducted by SeniorNet in 1995, 20% of older adults who owned personal computers said they never used the machine. Today, only 5% say their home computer remains idle. Not surprisingly, computer ownership also has increased. In 1995, 29% of respondents reported having a personal computer at home. By 1998 that figure reached 35%.
Access to the Internet has increased significantly in the last three years. In the original study, 17% of older adults subscribed to an online service. Today, nearly 70% of those surveyed surf the Internet from their home computers, and nearly 80% use the Internet at least once a month. Among elders who do not have access to the Net from home or work, 10% say they occasionally log into it from another location, such as a friend's home or a public library.
INCREASED HEAVY USERS
What has not changed in the last three years, the survey found, is the amount of time most older adults are spending online. For example, in both studies, nearly half of the respondents said they spend three or more hours per week online and one-quarter spent less than one hour per week online. However, there was an increase in the number of heavy users of the Internet. In 1995, only 6% reported spending more than 10 hours per week online; now the proportion is 15%.
Older adults consistently use home computers and Internet access for e-mail. More than 70% use the Internet for that purpose, followed by 59% who use the Net "as a research tool to acquire information on a particular subject." After that, 53% use the Internet to learn about news and current events; 47% for travel planning; 43% for weather information; and 24% for playing games and comparison shopping. Fewer than 10% use the Internet to pay bills.
Very few older adults (7%) in the study use the Internet for investing or financial purposes. Most said they do not have access to the Internet, don't trust transactions on it or find the service too complicated to use. Others said they prefer to maintain a personal relationship with their investment broker or were not aware that the Internet could be used to trade stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Those who do use the Internet for investing, though, responded favorably, saying that online transactions make managing investments more enjoyable and more advantageous.
Reports on both the 1995 and 1998 surveys are available online at www. seniornet.org. Or contact SeniorNet, 121 Second St., 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 495-4990; fax: 495-3999; e-mail: seniornet@seniornet.org.
American Society on Aging
71 Stevenson St., Suite 1450
San Francisco, CA 94105-2938
www.asaging.org
info@asaging.org