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Pew Research Center released Generations Online in 2009 recently. The study surveyed several generations and compiled comparisons of each generation's online use and activities.
Before we get into the results, let's look at how Pew defined the generations.
- Gen Y: ags 18–32
- Gen X: ages 33–44
- Younger Boomers: ages 45–54
- Older Boomers: ages 55–63
- Silent Generation: ages 64–72
- G.I. Generation: ages 73+
The Gen Y group has the highest percentage of online population at 30% the Silent generation making up 9% and the G.I. Generation making up another 9%. Older boomers account for 13% of the online population. This is a bit of funny math, however, because the 18–32 year age span encompasses 14 years, whereas the 55–63 group and the 64–72 groups only encompass 8 years each.
The growth rate for online users from 2005–2008 is interesting. The percentage of 70–75 year-olds online jumped from 28% to 45% during those years. In this chart from the study the blue bar is the percentage in 2005, the striped bar represents the growth by 2008.
The report points out that,
Much as we watch demographic and age groups move up in "degrees of access" on our "thermometers," we can probably expect to see these bars become more level as time goes on.
As people age, they will take their online habits with them. That could account for some of the leveling out of percentages in charts like this one. Laurie Orlov from Aging in Place Technology has some ideas about the adoption of techology among the older generations. In PCs & Internet Solutions for Older Seniors, she writes:
The Web is more than an antidote to loneliness for seniors.
Let’s get real. We know that the Internet can provide seniors access to health information, support groups, daily news, how-to instruction, product and service locations, address lookups, phone numbers, quick language translations, online games, elder blogs, movie information, humor, storytelling, and even directions to senior centers. And that’s just for starters.
Senior housing companies are AWOL on technology.
I am tired of walking through independent and assisted living facilities where residents are idle, lying down, or snoozing, where awaiting lunch is the activity of the morning, where they sit passively while someone selects a movie to watch, a game to play, or activities to be done as a group. This being the 21st century, let’s ask: are the majority of assisted and independent living facilities installing high speed connections, implementing wireless networks, acquiring and promoting touch-screen PCs, and offering Internet access subscriptions as part of their service (which they could mark up and resell for a profit)? You know they are not.
In addition to berating the senior facilities for being too slow to accomodate the changing times, Laurie goes on to talk about options for older people such as large-format touch screen devices, Kindles, inexpensive laptops, and specialized software.
The report shows that as broadband access increases, online use increases among all age groups. Maybe the issue isn't tech savvy or being a digital native, maybe it just boils down to broadband access.
Marketers flock to studies like this one to find ways to reach new demographics with their products. Sallie at Marketing Library is quite focused about the findings in Bridging the Generational Divide in Online Marketing.
If you want to create relationship with your customers, you need to understand the generational differences in online usage of your customer segments and then select the right communication channel (s) to reach each audience. You also need understand how different customers use the Internet and their communication preferences. Findings from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life project indicate that contrary to the image of Generation Y as the “Net Generation,” internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. Each generation places a different value on the internet as a communication tool and interact with it differently. For example, Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. Instant messaging, social networking, and blogging have gained ground as communications tools, but email remains the most popular online activity, particularly among older internet users, the survey found.
The report contains a table showing in great detail the various online activities from downloading video to emailing to making travel reservations to you name it. All that online activity is analyzed by generation. I don't want to show you an image of the table, because it wouldn't
