Good telephones, sensible TVs, tablets — you title it: People age 50-plus are embracing expertise. A brand new AARP survey finds older adults should not solely rising their spending on expertise, they’d purchase much more of it if gadgets have been geared to their wants.
This 12 months, the common grownup age 50-plus expects to spend $912 on tech purchases, up 11% from 2021 ($821) and a 130% rise from 2019 ($394), in response to a nationwide on-line ballot of about 3,000 People performed final fall.
Almost eight in 10 respondents say expertise has grow to be an integral a part of their life, and so they use it often to attach with family members. The necessity to exchange or improve gadgets for the house prompted greater than seven in 10 to make a tech buy in 2022.
Room to Develop the Market
Older adults have an urge for food for extra tech, however many discover it tough to study and navigate. Certainly, 68% of these 50-plus don’t imagine at this time’s expertise is designed with them in thoughts.
Whereas price and knowledge privateness are considerations, respondents most frequently say it’s the complexity of gadgets, software program and {hardware}, in addition to the shortage of clear profit, that makes them hesitant to purchase, the AARP survey exhibits.
Nonetheless, tech possession and use are excessive amongst older People. The survey finds 86% personal a wise cellphone, 70% have a wise TV, 59% use a pill, 31% have a house assistant, 28% personal a wearable system, and 24% have a wise home-tech system.
To remain in contact with others, 94% textual content, 88% e-mail, 74% are on social media, and 67% video chat.
The most well-liked social media platforms amongst adults 50 and over are Fb and YouTube. Use of Instagram elevated from 24% in 2021 to twenty-eight% in 2022 amongst this age group; TikTok use additionally rose, from 10% to fifteen%.
Greater than 80% have interaction in not less than some type of streaming for leisure, and 65% achieve this on a wise TV. Common use of every day streaming is considerably up amongst older People: About 35% of these age 50 and over stream every day, in comparison with 29% final 12 months.
Whereas People love their expertise as a solution to keep linked, eat leisure and store, the AARP analysis signifies that these over age 50 are additionally more and more open to utilizing it to help their well-being. About one in 5 say they’re all in favour of utilizing well being apps for meditation, eliminating unhealthy habits, or enhancing sleep.
Caregivers additionally see promise in the advantages of tech, in response to the survey. Amongst these age 50-plus caring for family members, greater than half (52%) are all in favour of tech to assist them with their caregiving wants.
The most well-liked home-tech security gadgets encourage independence and security, similar to doorbell cameras. Different gadgets that garner curiosity embody residence alarms and small digital gadgets to show off gadgets.
Must Deal with the Info Hole
Ignorance about what tech to make use of usually retains shoppers from leveraging technology-based options for well being and wellness, AARP found. Whereas 24% of these 50-plus see medical doctors as a great useful resource, solely 9% are getting data from them about utilizing tech to enhance their well being.
The AARP outcomes replicate a necessity to teach older shoppers on the obtainable tech, the way it will profit them, the place to get it, and methods to use it. Contemplating the potential obstacles to tech adoption going through older shoppers, the analysis suggests they must be satisfied that the product is straightforward to make use of and to obviously perceive the advantages.
When deciding what to purchase, respondents say they depend on private analysis (25%), suggestions from family and friends (17%), and in-store or on-line promotions (15%); for others seamless integration or interoperability with different tech gadgets influences them (13%).
Methodology
The AARP tech survey was performed on-line between September 23 and October 6, 2022 in English and Spanish. The survey sampled 2,979 adults, weighted to replicate the vary of demographics about U.S. adults age 18-plus and age 50-plus.
For extra data, please contact Brittne Kakulla at bkakulla@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact Exterior Relations at media@aarp.org.
Urged quotation:
Kakulla, Brittne. 2023 Tech Developments and the 50-Plus. Washington, DC: AARP Analysis, January 2023. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00584.001
