Baby Boomers and seniors are spending more time online than they are watching television according to a report by Ipsos and Google.
Average seniors and Boomers (those age 45 and older) spend 19 hours a week online compared to only 16 hours of television watching. Their online time far outpaces time spent listening to the radio or reading newspapers and magazines.
The Internet is the top resource for information on topics of interest to Boomers and seniors, again outpacing television and print media by a substantial margin. News and weather is the most popular type of information accessed online by the group (66%), followed by shopping (57%), coupons and discounts (45%), food information (44%), and games (43%).
When it comes to online videos, 54% of Boomers and seniors spend time watching them compared to 65% of the general population. YouTube is the most popular video site (82%), followed by Facebook (43%), Netflix (23%), and Hulu (23%).
Facebook is the most used social media network by the group, with membership in line with that of the general public. Social networking sites are used by the majority of Boomers (71%) and seniors (59%) daily. Are they finding your business?
Mobile devices are still in the adoption stage with Boomers and seniors compared to the general public. 29% use a smartphone regularly while 48% of the general population does, and 19% of the group regularly use a tablet compared to 25% of the general population. The group uses mobile devices for looking up information, making purchases, and visiting websites.
The report was based on a 15-minute online survey of 6,100 US respondents (5,100 in the Boomer/senior group aged 45 and over, and a general population control group of 1,000 people.) The study was conducted in March of 2013.
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Make certain you are reaching your customers where they are – online!