Generations and Age

While many devices have become popular across generations, younger adults are leading the way in increased mobility, preferring laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions.

Eighty-five percent of Americans age 18 and older own a cell phone, and one-third (33%) of those who do not own a cell phone live in a household with at least one working mobile phone. This means that overall, overall, 90% of all adults live in a hou...

As the leading edge of the giant Baby Boomer generation turns 65 on January 1, 2011, a Pew Research roundup of new and recent surveys finds that this age group is more downbeat than others about the trajectory of their lives and the direction of the nation as a whole. This report explores Boomers’ political and social values; their economic hopes and fears and their overall satisfaction with life.

A "heat map" showing major trends in how different generations of online Americans use the internet over time.

An at-a-glance guide to how different generations of online Americans use the internet.

Major trends in how different generations of Americans use the internet

Millennials continue to be among the strongest backers of Democratic candidates this fall, though their support for the Democratic Party has slipped since 2008. But young voters have given far less thought to the coming elections than have older voters, and this gap is larger than in previous midterms.

Internet adoption over the past 10 years: 93% of teens ages 12-17 go online, as do 95% of young adults ages 18-29. Seventy-nine percent of all adults ages 18 and older go online.

One child in 10 in the United States lives with a grandparent, a share that increased slowly and steadily over the past decade before rising sharply from 2007 to 2008, the first year of the Great Recession.

Adults make just as many calls, but text less often than teens. Americans say their mobile phones make them feel safer and more connected, but are irritated by cell intrusions and rudeness by other users.