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In a number of our recent projects in which we have conducted user research or usability testing, we have encountered opinions about Internet usage by older adults that seemed to us to be somewhat outdated. In some cases, our clients have asked us initially to write personas that did not include customers over the age of 50. In other cases, clients were hesitant initially to recruit seventy- and eighty-year-olds, even when the subject matter of the web site was targeted specifically to their needs (e.g., post-retirement finances).

We have been pleased to find that those in older age brackets who do volunteer for use research and usability testing have been able and willing participants, and have contributed to our studies as much or in some cases more than younger cohorts. Hence we did a literature search to update our knowledge.

In an earlier study referenced in HFI’s Putting Research into Practice course, Brian Carpenter and Sarah Buday conducted two-hour in-home interviews with 324 people living in a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) in St Louis suburb. A NORC is a geographic area that has a large proportion of people over the age of 65. One conclusion was that the older adults who were using computers were doing so primarily because of social reasons.

About 3 years later, a national survey was conducted with adults age 50 and older by Dr. Teresa A. Keenan, Internet Use Among Midlife and Older Adults: An AARP Bulletin Poll. In this study, a short telephone survey was conducted on behalf of the nationally recognized organization AARP among a nationally (U.S. based) representative sample of 1,013 adults ages 50 and older. While those 65 and older had less interest in learning to use the Internet if they were not already using it, compared to the younger cohort, the diversity of reasons for using the Internet beyond just social reasons was interesting to see across all age groups (see Figure 1).

reason for using internet

Six in ten respondents said they use the Internet to research information about a topic of interest and to send and receive email or instant messages. Four in ten said they made purchases on line including travel reservations. About a third of respondents use it for work, to do online banking, or to read newspapers, magazines or books.

While older adults may have started to embrace technology by sharing grandkid photos, as time goes on, increasingly diverse use of the Internet is likely to be seen across all age groups. We believe it is now time to retire the notion (no pun intended) that “older adults are online only for social reasons,” and look at the diverse needs and interests for content and service delivery among all older adults.

We expect newer studies will be conducted that will continue to support this trend toward more usage and more diverse usage among the increasingly older population in the U.S. and in other countries with similar demographics. Please let us know if you find newer studies and we will do the same!

References

Message from the CEO, Dr. Eric Schaffer — The Pragmatic Ergonomist

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Reader comments

Rebecca Barrett

 

Great article. Being over 50 myself, I find many stereotypes like this. I've used technology primarily for work and never have been interested in the social aspect, which makes me a polar opposite to the study results. People in these older age groups are more influenced by technology than many think. Fear is the biggest issue I hear from peers or our parents, mostly of viruses and hoaxes. But with better awareness and software, that's decreasing.

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