Baby Boomers

in the digital age

Lee Rainie – Director Pew Internet

Project
Silver Summit - CES
The changing Boomer audience: Then and now

2000 2008
40% use internet 74% use internet
<5% broadband at home 62% broadband at home
34% own a cell phone 72% own a cell phone
0% connect to internet 43% connect to internet
wirelessly wirelessly
<10% use “cloud” 47% use “cloud”

= slow, stationary = fast, mobile

connections that are connections that are
built around my moving to outside
computer servers and storage
 The changing Boomer role: Then and now

2000 2008
Boomers were 28% Boomers are 36% of
of the internet the internet
population population
and 24% of the and 33% of the
traffic on a typical traffic on a typical
day day
 Boomer internet use intensifies: Then and now

2000 2008
24% online aver. day 52% online aver. day
<5% online several times/day 35% online several times/day
20% go online from time to >41% go online from time to
time just for fun time just for fun

2002
34% say it would be “very
hard” to give up the internet
33% say “very hard” to give
up their cell phone
2007
42% say it would be “very
hard” to give up the internet
46% say “very hard” to give
up their cell phone
 Boomers are often just like other
internet users
100
91 90
90

80
78
74
70
70
% of internet users

60
53
50

40 36
30
30

20

10

0
Email Search Health Get news Govt Research Religious Online
engines info sites jobs info ratings
 Boomers and e-commerce
90
81
80
70 68
70

60 55
% of internet users

50

40

30 27

20

10

0
Research Buy goods Travel Banking Auction
products reservations
 Boomers and Web 2.0
90

80

70

60
% of internet users

50
38
40

30 26

20
17 16
13 11
10 7

0
Video Read blogs Share Post Social Have Blog
sharing creations comments network website
sites profile
Thank you!

Lee Rainie
Director
Pew Internet & American Life Project
1615 L Street NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
Lrainie@pewinternet.org
202-419-4500

Baby Boomers January 10, 2009 8