Techssocial | There are some grandparents who are more ‘down with the kids’ than others – they are using smartphones, some know how to Skype and have their own Facebook profiles. But does it depend on what country that where they live as to whether they more confident with technology? Working with Acorn Stairlifts, retailers of disabled stairlifts, we investigate the latest figures:
Smartphones and tablets
Having quick access to the internet, is enabled by the widespread use of smartphones and tablets. Many of us have these tiny touchscreen devices at hand which can answer to our queries, connect us with friends and provide us with useful information at the tap of our fingers. Has the older generation realised the potential of these devices?
It was revealed in the UK, that 45% of over 55s used a smartphone in 2016.This seems like quite a significant figure, however, when you compare it to the fact that 97% of under 25s used a smartphone, it’s clear to see how age affects behavior.
In the US, it was reported that 32% of those over 65, and 20% of those over 80 said that they owned a tablet computer and 19% said that they owned an e-reader.
It’s important that older people are educated on how to use new devices, should they need to. Around three-quarters of Americans over 65 said that the statement, ‘When I get a new electronic device, I usually need someone else to set it up or show me how to use it,’ describes them very, or somewhat well. Also, only 26% of older internet users said that they felt very confident.
Although some may assumed that older people don’t understand technological advancements and are not willing to learn how to use them, findings have proven different. In fact, 58% of adults aged 65 and over said that technology has had a mostly positive impact on society. Of course, it can depend on annual income and disposable income as to whether an elderly person owns a smart device — 81% of older Americans who earned over $75,000 said that they owned a smartphone while only 27% of those who earned less than $30,000 owned one.
Internet users
When we think about the internet, many of us would find it hard to live without it. You probably use it to read the latest news, check the weather forecast or use it hourly at work. But, is the older generation as reliant on the World Wide Web?
Research showed that 41% of adults aged 75 and over had recently used the internet when they were asked in 2017. This illustrates a 20% increase since 2011, showing how widespread the internet has become over the past seven years.
Comparing to the older generation in the US, figures show that 64% of over 65s were internet users in 2016.There was also a 46.4% growth reported in US internet users over the age of 55 from 2014 to 2017, with around half of American seniors say that they now have high-speed internet at home. This is a 4% increase on 2013.
There are still only 44% of those aged 80 and upwards said that they used the internet, and just 28% said that they had a home broadband service.
In Germany, there are only 29.6% if those aged 50 and over, that used mobile internet, and in France, 48% of people aged over 70 were internet users in 2016. Compare this to the 100% of internet users who were aged 12-17 and it’s clear to see the generation gap when it comes to getting online. In Belgium, 35% of the population that were aged between 65 and 74 admitted that they had never used the internet at all.
What about in the aging country of Canada, where there are now more over 65s than under 14s? In 2019, experts forecast that 53.4% of over 65s will be internet users. And, in the technological hub of Japan, 44.3% of over 80s who accessed the internet said that they did so at least once a day, along with 48% of those aged 70-79.
Table of Contents
Banking
Much of the younger generation has welcomed technological advancements to help them with banking and quick payments in restaurants and stores. With one simple tap of the debit card, something can be paid for instantaneously.
In the UK, Barclaycard said that 20% of contactless users are 65 and over — suggesting that they are welcoming the new system. More people are jumping on board too, 55% of over 65s have used the tap to pay service, up 3% from 2016. Saga supported this research too, saying that one in five over 50s use their contactless cards up to three times per week.
Staying connected
For many of the younger generation, the internet is the main way that they stay ‘connected’ with the rest of the world. Through Twitter and Facebook, people can read instantaneous news from their local area and worldwide. And, with downloadable apps, smartphone users can receive notifications of the latest headlines. Is the older generation accessing news in the same way?
In the UK, 21% of over 50s said that they get their news daily from social networks. This could mean logging onto Facebook to see what the latest status’ are or checking what’s trending on Twitter. In the US, this number rose to 26% with 70% of older Facebook users saying that they log in to the site daily. In fact, there has been a reported change in the demographics of Facebook users — with the number of 12-17-year-olds who use the site declining by 9.9% in 2017.
How do these figures compare to elderly people across Europe? In Germany, only 9% of those over 50 said that they get their daily news from social networks and 34% said that they get their daily news from the internet. In France and Italy, 13% of the mature generation stated that they went to social media sites for their news.
In Canada, these figures were relatively high — with 25% of over 50s heading over to social networking sites to find out the latest headlines.
So, as we can see, the technological habits of the mature generation changes from country-to-country. Eventually, it’s likely that the majority of the older population will understand the benefits of technology and come to accept it as a way of life. In the meantime, younger people should be educating their elders on how to use the devices and how it could enhance their daily activities.
Sources
http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/01/11/detailed-tables-global-media-habits/
https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2017
https://www.recode.net/2018/2/12/16998750/facebooks-teen-users-decline-instagram-snap-emarketer
https://isl.co/2017/02/2017-facebook-demographic-report-adults-on-the-rise-the-teen-question/
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/05/17/tech-adoption-climbs-among-older-adults/
Sagar is HR at techssocial.net. He has been writing last 3 years on different blogging sites. He has also helped small businesses to gain their ranking.