---
title: "Four in ten seniors go online"
description: "38% of adults age 65 and older go online, a significantly lower rate of adoption than the general population (74%)."
date: "2010-01-13"
authors:
  - name: "Susannah Fox"
    job_title: "Former Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/susannah-fox/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2010/01/13/four-in-ten-seniors-go-online/"
categories:
  - "Age & Generations"
  - "Digital Divide"
  - "Older Adults & Aging"
  - "Platforms & Services"
  - "Technology Adoption"
tags:
  - "Seniors"
---

# Four in ten seniors go online

[As of December 2009](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2010/Internet-broadband-and-cell-phone-statistics.aspx), 38% of U.S. adults age 65 and older go online, a significantly lower rate of internet adoption than the general population (74%) and even the next-oldest group (70% of adults age 50-64 years old go online).

In addition, just 26% of U.S. adults age 65 and older have home broadband access, compared with 56% of adults age 50-64 years old (and 60% of all adults).

![As of December 2009, 38% of U.S. adults age 65 and older go online, a significantly lower rate of internet adoption than the general population (74%) and even the next-oldest group (70% of adults age 50-64 years old go online).](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/media/Infographics/Commentary/2010/2009Seniors.jpg)

Older internet users are also likely to stay in the shallow end of the [internet activities pool](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Presentations/2009/Generations-Online-in-2009.aspx): email and search. A few pioneers have jumped into the social media deep end, but these seniors are the exception, not the rule.

And while the Pew Internet Project has found that [mobile access is closing the gap ](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use.aspx)between African Americans and whites, and mobile users are [more likely to participate ](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2009/5-The-Mobile-Difference--Typology.aspx)in social media, just 16% of U.S. adults age 65 and older go online wirelessly, via a laptop or handheld device. By contrast, 55% of all adults connect to the internet wirelessly.

All this could change if more older adults start carrying internet-enabled mobile devices, but for now, the majority of older adults remain offline and in the [stationary media majority](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2009/5-The-Mobile-Difference--Typology/1-Summary-of-Findings/Overview.aspx?r=1).