Senior Citizen Statistics
Almost 14 Million Senior Citizens Now Online
Estimated 172 million U.S. adults Online – 77% of population
May 28, 2006 – A Harris Poll released last week shows there are now 172 million American adults online and almost 14 million of those are senior citizens age 65 and older. Seniors online are eight percent of the total, which has increased by five percent since last year.
According to the latest Harris Poll, the number of adults who are online at home, in the office, at school, library or other locations continues to grow at a steady rate, according to research among 2,032 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone in February and April 2006.
Harris Interactive found that 77 percent of adults are now online, up from 74 percent in February/April 2005, 66 percent in the spring of 2002, 64 percent in 2001 and 57 percent in spring of 2000. When Harris Interactive first began to track Internet use in 1995, only nine percent of adults reported they went online.
For a more detailed look see the table below.
As Internet penetration rises, the demographic profile of Internet users continues to look more like that of the nation as a whole. It is still true that more young than older people, and more affluent than low-income people, are online. However, eight percent of those online are now age 65 or over (compared to 16% of all adults who are 65 or over).
In other demographic splints the survey found 39 percent of those online (compared to 47% of all adults) did not go to college and 14 percent have incomes of less than $25,000 (compared to 19% of all adults).
Internet access increases at home and at work
The proportion of adults who are now online at home has risen to 70 percent, up from 66 percent in 2005 and 55 percent in the spring of 2002. The percentage of those online at work has not really changed (35% now, 36% in 2005) yet is still up from 30 percent in the spring of 2002. Adults who are online at a location other than their home or work also remains steady at 22 percent (21% in 2005, 19% in the spring of 2002).
Table 1 - Online From Home, Work or Other Location: Trends 1995–2006
● "At home, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At work, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At another location, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "Excluding email, how many hours per week, on average, do you typically spend on the Internet or World Wide Web?"
Table 2 - PC and Internet Use: Trends 1995-2006
● "Do you personally use a computer at home, work or another location?"
● "At home, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At work, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At another location, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
1. All samples of 2,000 or more adults, conducted by telephone.
2. "Are Online" includes all adults who use Internet from home, office, school, library or other location.
Table 3 - Profile of Online Population
(February-April 2006)
● "At home, do you personally use a computer to Access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At work, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At another location, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
Table 4 - Estimated Numbers of Adults Who Are Online (In Millions)
● "At home, do you personally use a computer to Access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At work, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
● "At another location, do you personally use a computer to access the Internet/World Wide Web?"
Methodology
The Harris Poll ® was conducted by telephone within the United States between February 2006 (February 7 and 13, 2006) and April 2006 (April 4 and 10, 2006) among 2,032 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of adults in the household, number of phone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.
With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.
With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 2,032 adults one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2 percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
Ongoing Learning Increases Longevity, Researchers Say
by Gabby Hyman
Education may be the long-sought-after fountain of youth. After decades of studies, researchers continue to find that those who keep their minds engaged in active education live longer and stave off the ravages of aging, such as memory loss and lethargy. The New York Times recently reported that having money or good health insurance "paled in comparison" to education as a crucial factor in graceful aging. "If you were to ask me what affects health and longevity," said City University of New York researcher Michael Grossman, "I would put education at the top of my list."
Comprehensive studies on the effects of ongoing learning on aging have been conducted for decades, and more recent studies by researchers called "health economists" only seem to support the contentions of 3rd Century BC philosopher, Aristotle, who said, "Education is the best provision for old age."
In 1999, Columbia University grad student Adriana Lleras-Muney focused her dissertation on 1969 research by three health economists who found that investing in education over the long haul yielded greater anti-aging effects than good medical care. In her ground-breaking study, Lleras-Muney found that when people reached age 35, their life expectancy was increased by 18 months if they completed an extra year of education.
Lleras-Muney's findings were supported by research conducted by Princeton's Anne Case. Case reported that "each additional year of schooling for men in the U.S. is associated with an 8 percent reduction in mortality, a result consistent with those found in many European countries. In surveys run in both the developed and developing world, people with greater levels of schooling report themselves to be significantly healthier."
Education and Brain AerobicsOnly two decades ago, most physicians and researchers felt that aging and its deleterious effects on the brain were inevitable. However, these recent findings offer hope to maintaining lifelong mental health. The Alzheimer's Association now sponsors "Maintain Your Brain" workshops throughout the country, encouraging people to stay physically and intellectually active. The workshop advises people to "enroll in courses at your local adult education center, community college[,] or other community group."
What is it about learning that arrests aging? Campus-based learning increases socialization and lessens loneliness and depression common among seniors. But that's only one factor. Even the very practice of taking online classes seems to activate parts of the brain that slow aging and increase memory, emotional engagement, and intellectual curiosity.
Dr. Gary Small, Director of the UCLA Center on Aging, has found a research niche in what he calls "Mental Aerobics." Using physical fitness training language, Small encourages everyone to "cross train" their minds to keep them in peak condition. Dr. Small's popular anti-aging book, The Longevity Bible, proposes an eight-step game plan to keep your body supple and your mind in peak condition. Number one on the list: "Sharpen Your Mind. Mental aerobics cross train your brain to significantly improve memory skills and brain efficiency. If you fix your brain for longevity, your body will follow in kind."
The New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 2003 revealing that seniors over 75 years old who continued to read actively along with engaging in other physical and artistic activities had demonstrably lower rates of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Lifelong learning combined with exercises to stimulate the mind builds what Small calls a cognitive reserve. Small says, "It's the use-it-or-lose-it theory. If you keep your brain cells active it improves their efficiency."
Education and Memory
A landmark 2005 study conducted by Toronto's Mellanie V. Springer and Cheryl Grady, Ph.D. revealed that the brains of older adults rely on the frontal cortex for memory and cognitive activity. Grady reported, "The higher the education, the more likely the older adult is to recruit frontal regions, resulting in a better memory performance."
Researchers have showed that the idle mind, like muscles in the body, atrophies from nonuse. With the exponential explosion of online colleges and classes, even homebound adults can keep their minds at play in the fields of learning. A 2006 Harris Poll found that of the 172 million American adults online, some 14 million were over the age of 65. Now more than ever, people of all ages can access a wide variety of educational choices to help keep their minds active and engaged.
Back in SchoolSeniors can get discounts for online and traditional study--even seniors who pursue a high school diploma or GED. Readily available online, education programs give those who always meant to finish high school the chance to do so--even if they've meant to finish for decades now. Even with a few years (or decades) on those wide-eyed high school grads, a non-traditional student can find a lot of satisfaction in an investment in him or herself rather than just trying to advance a career.
Adult learners can expect to find plenty of company in a classroom--online or on campus. A U.S. Department of Education report found that 84% of students in higher education are non-traditional, meaning that they haven't gone straight to college after high school. Subsequently, returning to school a little bit later in life for a diploma or beyond--an associate's, bachelor's, or other degree--has become the norm rather than the exception.
Graduate or Ph.D. programs can also be avenues to fulfill lifelong dreams or interests for older Americans, and this upper-level academic delivers the metal challenges that keep the brain young. But here's the bottom line: Ongoing learning helps keep the mind in shape and can increase longevity. As such, education is proving to be the crucial ingredient in healthy living and long life.
Sources
"Almost 14 Million Senior Citizens Now Online." Senior Journal, May 28, 2006.
"Brain Health." Alzheimer's Association National Office, 2007. Case, Ann. "The Primacy of Education."
Grady, Cheryl L., PhD, Mellanie V. Springer, MSc, Anthony R. McIntosh, PhD, and Gordon Winocur, PhD. "The Relation Between Brain Activity During Memory Tasks and Years of Education in Young and Older adults." Neuropsychology 19.2 (2005).
Hartman, Diana. "Life, Learning, and Longevity." BlogCritics Magazine, January 8, 2007.
Kolata, Gina. "A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School." The New York Times, January 3, 2007.
Small, Gary, Ph.D. "Eight Essentials." 2006.
Stenson. Jacqueline. "A Workout For Your Brain." MSNBC, November 30, 2004.
About the Author
Gabby Hyman has created online strategies and written content for Fortune 500 companies including eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Microsoft Encarta, Avaya, and Nissan UK.