Majority of Baby Boomers Online
June 1, 2007
Majority of Baby Boomers Online
June 1, 2007 –According to new research from Focalyst, half of all Americans over age 60 use the Internet, as do more than 80 percent of Baby Boomers, Focalyst, a market research and consulting firm focused exclusively on Baby Boomers and older consumers, also found that nearly one-third of all online Boomers, or 21 million people, have been using the Internet for more than 10 years. More than 7 million members of what Focalyst calls the Golden Generation, those born before 1946, have been online for more than a decade, as well.
"People associate the Internet and computers with youth, but it was the Baby Boom Generation that had the discretionary income 20 years ago to buy the first personal computers and lead the early adoption of the Internet," says David van Nostrand, Focalyst’s chief research officer. "By 1995, when Netscape went public and gave credence to the financial and social viability of the Internet, millions of Baby Boomers were already part of the Internet revolution."
The study also finds that 33 million Baby Boomers use the Internet every day, along with 10 million members of the Golden Generation. While e-mailing is their primary activity, these users also are going online to make travel arrangements, check the news, find health information, bank and shop. Focalyst says that 30 percent of the online Baby Boom Generation shops online at least a few times a month and that is the same percentage as those born between 1965 and 1988. As younger members of the Baby Boom Generation enter their 50s, their incomes are likely to increase and, with that, their Internet usage and activities.
Focalyst’s Online Activity Report is based on a survey of more than 30,000 U.S. consumers ages 42 and older. For more information, visit http://preseason.ntaonline.com/www.focalyst.com.