Look out kids. Mom and dad, and now granny and pop-pop are catching up to your use of social networking and other internet sites, according to the Pew Research Center.
A new survey analysis finds that grandkids and grandparents are LOLing together in greater numbers, though there remains a huge gap between the number of younger and older Americans online.
Recommended Stories
Pew found that some 35 percent of Americans 65 years old or over are now up online compared to 2 percent 10 years ago.
Younger computer users still dominate the field, with 90 percent of those age 18-29 online.
The amazing turnaround in adult and elderly use of the internet is spelled out in these key findings from the Pew Center’s “Social Media Usage: 2005-2015” analysis:
— Age differences: Seniors make strides – Young adults (ages 18 to 29) are the most likely to use social media – fully 90% do. Still, usage among those 65 and older has more than tripled since 2010 when 11% used social media. Today, 35% of all those 65 and older report using social media, compared with just 2% in 2005.
— Gender differences: Women and men use social media at similar rates – Women were more likely than men to use social networking sites for a number of years, although since 2014 these differences have been modest. Today, 68% of all women use social media, compared with 62% of all men.
— Socio-economic differences: Those with higher education levels and household income lead the way – Over the past decade, it has consistently been the case that those in higher-income households were more likely to use social media. More than half (56%) of those living in the lowest-income households now use social media, though growth has leveled off in the past few years. Turning to educational attainment, a similar pattern is observed. Those with at least some college experience have been consistently more likely than those with a high school degree or less to use social media over the past decade. 2013 was the first year that more than half of those with a high school diploma or less used social media.
— Racial and ethnic similarities: There are not notable differences by racial or ethnic group: 65% of whites, 65% of Hispanics and 56% of African-Americans use social media today.
— Community differences: More than half of rural residents now use social media – Those who live in rural areas are less likely than those in suburban and urban communities to use social media, a pattern consistent over the past decade. Today, 58% of rural residents, 68% of suburban residents, and 64% of urban residents use social media.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
