US : People over 55 years old push Internet

According to a recent release by The Media Audit, though the younger age groups were the first to embrace the Internet, most of today’s growth is being driven by the older age groups, starting at age 55.

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In the markets surveyed, representing a population of more than 130 million adults, 61.2 percent of all adults visit the Internet regularly. « That’s up from 54.9 percent in 2000 and most of the new growth is coming from those over 55 years of age, » says Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, Inc.

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According to the data:

– the 55 to 64 age classification has increased as a percent of the total Internet audience from 9.5 to 11.3 percent in the past four years. The percentage of those in that same age group who access the Internet regularly increased from 45.8 percent in 2000 to 56.7 percent in 2003.

– the 65 to 74 year olds have increased as a percent of the total Internet audience from 4.6 to 5.4 percent. The percentage of those in that same age group who access the Internet regularly increased from 26.2 percent to 35.9 percent.

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– those age 75 plus have increased as a percent of the Internet market from 1.3 to 1.6 percent The percent of the 75 plus group that is accessing the Internet has increased from 12.1 to 15.9.

– 55.6 percent of married, age 35 plus, households without children access the computer regularly. Among households with children the percentage that accesses the Internet regularly is 65.1 percent.

– income also has a significant impact on Internet access. Among households with annual incomes of $50,000 or more the Internet access rate is 78.6 percent compared to 61.3 percent among all adults.