woman in telehealth appointment
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Older adults are less likely than younger ones to continue using virtual medical services, grocery delivery services or curbside pick-up after the pandemic ends, according to the results of a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the SCAN Foundation, released Tuesday.

Only 16% of adults aged 50 or more years said that it is very or extremely likely that they will receive virtual medical services after the pandemic, compared with 26% of those aged 18 to 49.

Adults aged 50 or more years, however, were more likely than those aged 18 to 49 to say that they want telehealth to continue to be offered after the pandemic, although percentages between the two age groups were close (49% versus 48%). 

Only 9% of adults aged 50 or more years said that it is very or extremely likely that they will have their groceries delivered after the pandemic, compared with 22% of those aged 18 to 49.

And only 18% of adults aged 50 or more years that it is very or extremely likely that they will use curbside pick-up after the pandemic, compared with 33% of those aged 18 to 49.

Adults aged 18 to 49 were more likely than those aged 50 or more years to say that remote working (57% versus 51%) and virtual options such as gym classes, religious services and social events should continue after the pandemic (47% versus 44%).

Other poll highlights:

  • Adults aged 50 or more years were more likely than adults aged 18 to 49 to consider certain factors as important or essential to returning to public life. Such factors included whether effective COVID-19 treatments are available, whether they and those they know are vaccinated and boosted, and people’s mask-wearing and testing practices.
  • 79% of all survey-takers said they expect to visit with older relatives in person in the next few weeks.
  • 62% of those aged 60 and older said they expect to quit shopping during “senior hours.”
  • Adults aged 50 or more were less likely than adults aged 18 to 49 to have started new hobbies during the pandemic (33% versus 48%).

The poll was conducted in English online and via phone May 12 to 16 and included 1,001 adults aged 18 and older nationwide. See the full results at the AP–NORC website.