The increasing numbers of retirees using the Internet is a natural development, as a growing proportion of retirees belong to a generation who were still in working life when the Internet became an integral part of our lives at both home and work.
When it comes to Internet access, the digital gap is no longer between pensioners and others but between senior retirees over 75 years old and the rest.
Among people aged 66 to 75 years Internet access is at 95 per cent, while it is at 68 per cent for those who are older. In the age group over 75 years, 54 per cent have their own computer, 33 per cent have a smartphone, and 24 per cent have a tablet.
Older people do not use the Internet daily to the same extent as younger people do. They also do not have the habit of using the Internet on their smartphone to the same degree as younger people do: almost all young people make use of the Internet on a smartphone, while only half of the population aged 65 to 75 years, and one in five among those over 75 years old, do so.
Daily press and Facebook
Daily newspapers are read by 40 per cent of Internet users. In the age group 45 to 55 years, 56 per cent read daily news on the Internet; the corresponding figure is four of ten among retirees aged 66 to 75 years, and one third among people over 75 years old.
The use of Facebook continues to increase, with over half of Internet users using it daily. The proportion has increased in all age groups except the younger ones.
Among pensioners between ages 66 and 75, 38 per cent use Facebook daily, while among those over 75 years old every fourth person does so.
The most common Facebook activity among Internet users up to 65 years old is to use Messenger, most commonly among 16- to 25-year-olds (95 per cent). Among people over 75 years old, 40 per cent use Messenger.
Karin Hellingwerf