Every year, AARP publishes the findings from its research into the ways that older adults are using cutting-edge technologies in various aspects of their lives. This year’s report, “2024 Tech Trends and Adults 50+,” contains a wealth of information that can be valuable to AgeTech Collaborative™ startups and other participants. Here are some key takeaways about how people who are 50-plus are using tech to enhance their wellness and stay socially engaged.
You can see the first part in this series, focusing on device ownership and digital services, here.
Connecting Tech and Wellness
By 2034, for the first time, older adults will outnumber children in the United States, and by 2060, 25% of Americans will be older than 65, while only 20% will be younger than 18. These changing demographics will require a shift in mindset and behavior around issues related to aging in place, caregiving and health care. Some of those mental shifts are already underway, but that doesn’t always translate into the adoption of relevant technologies.
-
Nearly half of all older adults recognize that technology can help enable a healthy life, up from 42% in 2022 to 48% in 2024. The greatest leap in this awareness has occurred among those who are older than 70, from 45% to 54%.
-
Nevertheless, while nearly two-thirds of older adults suffering from a chronic health issue are aware of technology that can help them manage their conditions, only 11% actually use those technologies, and 42% are not interested in using them. Lacking a clear understanding of the tech involved may be the barrier to more mainstream adoption.
-
However, those with a chronic issue are more likely to use digital services related to medical needs than the general population. Among those aged 50-plus with medical conditions, 43% accessed online medical services in a three-month period, 21% accessed health or fitness services and 11% accessed telemedicine services.
-
Since 2021, 20% of older adults have experienced a major event in their life or health, with 24% experiencing the loss of a loved one and 20% experiencing a change involving a chronic health diagnosis. Adopting a new fitness routine (12%) and experiencing a career change (10%) are also among the top changes.
-
When life events happen, people aged 50-plus are using some digital services to help them. For example, among those with a change in a chronic condition, 50% use medical services and 23% use health or fitness tracking; for those with a new fitness routine, 57% use an online calendar and 47% use medical services; and for those undergoing a career change, 75% use banking or finance services and 65% use video chat.
Tech and Social Engagement
Streaming entertainment and social media represent two of the most common ways older adults use technology, with use broadly trending upward among those aged 50-plus.
-
Both older and younger adults stream across a variety of devices, but those aged 18–49 lean toward streaming on mobile devices more than their older counterparts: 64% of people 18–49 stream with a smart TV, 58% with a smartphone and 40% with other connected devices; while 70% of people 50-plus stream with a smart TV, 33% with a smartphone and 36% with other connected devices.
-
Among older adults, the shift from cable TV to a streaming entertainment provider continues: 86% stream at least some, if not all, of their entertainment content, up from 64% in 2019. Overall, about a third exclusively stream entertainment, a third prefer a mix of both streaming and network or cable TV, and about a third consume exclusively network or cable TV.
-
Seventy percent of consumers aged 50-plus stream at least weekly. Those in their 70s report the most significant increase in their streaming frequency, with 65% streaming at least weekly, up from 52% in 2023.
-
Most older adults continue to engage in social media, with Facebook (70% of people 50-plus), YouTube (51%) and Instagram (29%) leading the pack. WhatsApp saw a significant increase in users (20%, up from 16% in 2022), while X (formerly Twitter) saw a decrease (13%, down from 15% in 2022).
-
On average, 79% of people 50-plus rely on technology to keep in touch with friends and family, with people aged 50–59, 60–69 and 70–79 each using social media about equally.
-
Older adults use a variety of tech to stay in touch with friends and family, with at least a plurality using such tech every day. Consumers use text the most (73% daily, 18% weekly), followed by email (47% daily, 21% weekly) and social media (42% daily, 19% weekly).
You can find more details and insights in the full report.
#What'sNew?