Older Adults & Aging

Mary will present the Pew Internet Project’s latest data on social media participation among older American adults, including new findings about user motivations and the role of mobile devices.

As the leading edge of the giant Baby Boomer generation turns 65 on January 1, 2011, a Pew Research roundup of new and recent surveys finds that this age group is more downbeat than others about the trajectory of their lives and the direction of the nation as a whole. This report explores Boomers’ political and social values; their economic hopes and fears and their overall satisfaction with life.

A "heat map" showing major trends in how different generations of online Americans use the internet over time.

An at-a-glance guide to how different generations of online Americans use the internet.

Major trends in how different generations of Americans use the internet

One-in-ten online adults ages 50-64 use Twitter or another status-updating service.

Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older has nearly doubled—from 22% to 42%—over the past year. Status updating has also grown in popularity among older users; one in ten say they use Twitter or another service to share updates...

Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled—from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010.

Older Americans have a more negative view of incumbents, are more likely to vote for a candidate with no elective experience and less likely to support those who compromise than are Americans younger than age 65.

38% of adults age 65 and older go online, a significantly lower rate of adoption than the general population (74%).