The Web surfing habits of boomers and over-60s are
more firmly rooted in traditional media than those of their younger
counterparts, according to a Deloitte & Touche study conducted by
the Harris Group.
The study found that 67% of boomers visited sites after seeing ads
on TV or in print. Matures, those between 61 and 75, were just as
likely to be driven to the Web by print ads and less likely by TV ads.
Yet these two age groups were less likely than Generation X (25
to 41) or millennials (13 to 24) to visit the Web as a result of an
Internet search engine or ad on another site.
A Lumin Collaborative study reinforced the connection between
boomers and traditional media. The company found that boomers, defined
as those currently ages 42 to 62, spent an average of 2.69 hours a day online,
versus 2.83 hours watching TV and 1.93 hours listening to the radio.
The trends were flipped among the echo boomers (ages 18 to 31) and
Gen X (32 to 41), who spent more time online than watching TV or
listening to the radio and whose time spent online also exceeded that
of their boomer counterparts.
Lumin also noted that only 39% of respondents in the boomer
demographic regarded the Internet as their primary channel of
information about companies or products. This rate was substantially
less than Gen X (53%) or echo boomers (60%).
Boomers were the most likely group to choose newspapers, broadcast TV
or magazines as their main source of information.
Learn how to reach these wealthy demographic groups. Get your copy of eMarketer's Baby Boomers and Silver Surfers: Two Generations Online report today.