While young people still dominate the online population, by far the fastest growing age group online includes those ages 70 to 75. While only 26% of this age group used the internet just four years ago, currently 45% go online. This is still less than half of the online population of those ages 12 to 17 (93%). As has been the case for younger age groups, these numbers probably will level off as time goes on. While younger generations have seen a decrease in email use — as they increasingly use instant messaging and social networks — it remains the most popular internet activity for those ages 64 and older. Researching health and religious information is also more popular for older internet users. Read More
Older Americans Increasingly Sign Online
Russell Heimlich is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.