A new survey by AARP provides insights into technology use by those in their 70s.
AARP’s online “2020 Tech and the 50+ Survey” was conducted in June and July; 2,607 people aged 50 or more years participated, and 781 of them were aged 70 or more years.
Sixty-two percent of those aged 70 or more years reported using smartphones in 2019. Of them, 88% said they use them daily.
Forty percent of respondents in this age group said they use tablet computers. Of them, 61% said they use them daily.
Among the older adults who own smartphones or tablets, the most popular uses were looking up the weather (69%), sending email (67%), using the internet (56%), looking at photos (55%) and using social media (50%).
Fifty percent of the older respondents who own smartphones or tablets said they use social media at least once a week. By far, the most popular types of social media used by those aged 70 or more years were Facebook (59%) and YouTube (23%). The next most popular form of social media, Instagram, was used by only 8% of the older respondents, and 31% of people in this age group reported not using social media at all.
In fact, Facebook and YouTube, by far, also were the most popular types of social media used by those in their 50s and 60s who took the survey, with Instagram ranking in a distant third place for them as well.
Only 37% of those aged 70 or more years said they used social media daily to stay connected with friends and family members.
See more results here.
