Swedish study highlights rapid rise in silver surfer numbers
The number of older people using the Internet is rising rapidly, according to new Swedish research. In 2007, an average of just 29% of Swedes in the 65-79 age group used the Internet on an average day; by 2008, this figure had shot up to 39%, making Swedish pensioners among the most internet savvy in Europe. The findings are part of a national poll of 4,500 people on media use carried out by scientists at the University of Gothenburg, which has run the survey every year since 1979. On average, Swedes spend about six hours a day consuming media, a figure that has changed little over the years. Television still accounts for a lot of this time, although 15 to 24-year-olds now spend more time online than watching TV. Internet use in the country has doubled over the past 4 years; currently 68% of Swedes use the Internet regularly. Almost all of the young people polled said they used the Internet daily. However, while Sweden's growing population of silver surfers tends to use the Internet for e-mail, to use search engines and to read online newspapers, younger Internet users spend most of their time online on social media sites or listening to music. The study also revealed social differences in internet use. People with a high level of education are more than twice as likely to use the Internet regularly versus people with less education. Furthermore, highly educated surfers are more likely to have strong digital skills and to take advantage of more features of both media sites and social networking sites. On gender, more men (65%) than women (56%) use the Internet at home on the average day. In contrast, women spend more time reading, with 42% reading a book on an average day, compared to just 30% of men. The growing popularity of the Internet also appears to influence the way people obtain information about the news. At the turn of the century, over half of those polled (55%) said they watched the news on television on an average day. The latest survey shows that that figure has fallen to about 40%, including web TV. The authors of the survey note that the style of online news is quite different from what is found in traditional newspapers. Texts tend to be shorter, and commentaries (such as blogs) are more common. 'We can see how news consumption is changing,' commented the survey's director, Professor Ulla Carlsson of the University of Gothenburg. 'This suggests a new role for journalists, and viewers who have more knowledge about, and are critical of, the media.'
Countries
Sweden