Gadget ownership broken down by generation

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by chamekke

Interestingly, the generation with the highest percentage of ebook reader ownership is Younger Boomers (47-56), at 7 percent, followed by Older Boomers at 6 percent.

Makes me curious to know if that demographic also represents the majority of MR members. Mods?

[Catlady]

What really surprises me are the two steep dropoffs for cell phones in the two oldest groups. I don't think these populations necessarily use cell phones a lot, but my impression was that they had them for emergencies--often with the phones being provided by their adult children.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

The Pew research apparently skipped the demographic that was covered by this NYT article as mentioned by this thread.

At HarperCollins, for example, e-books made up 25 percent of all young-adult sales in January, up from about 6 percent a year before — a boom in sales that quickly got the attention of publishers there.

I'd like to see how the rest of their numbers would have broken out.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

The Pew research apparently skipped the demographic that was covered by this NYT article as mentioned by this thread. It suggests 25% ereader use by the 10-18 generation (whatever you call them). I'd like to see how the rest of their numbers would have broken out.

They might do that if they repeat the survey. The NYT story from the other thread says there seemed to be a surge in kids' ownership of e-readers because of the holidays just past. The Pew survey was done before the holidays, so stats for that group would be off now anyway.

[sbtx99]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

Hmm... you might also consider that some of us "Older Boomers" are the ones who
shepherded in this technology, that you think we are so frightened of.

Luck;
Ken

Yes, of course, it was the techie portion of the older boomers and earlier generations, and some of the younger boomers, who paved the way for the technology of today. As a younger boomer, I grew up in the generation in between when technology was still a hobby and when it started to become common place. And as it has become more common place, each subsequent generation as a group has become even more comfortable with technology than the generation before them.

Or maybe I should say more comfortable with the idea of technology.... My sister who is in the same generation as me is not into gadgets. It's not that she's frightened by technology, she grew up with the same technology as I did. She has fewer gadgets because she has less interest in technology. And I'm probably less comfortable with the idea of technology than the majority of people in younger generations. I don't have a tablet because I can't justify it at this time.... it's not an issue of money but of need. And that's pretty much been the case for most of the gadgets I own. If I were more comfortable with the idea of technology, would I have to justify a need for a particular device before buying it?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

Hmm... you might also consider that some of us "Older Boomers" are the ones who
shepherded in this technology, that you think we are so frightened of.

A few of us have used the words "uncomfortable"... that doesn't necessarily equate to "afraid." It does suggest that the age group (as surveyed... obviously it doesn't represent everyone, but is a statistical sampling) are more comfortable with more traditional reading methods, and so choose not to go to ebooks.

We should also consider that members of any of the demographics can read ebooks on other devices such as computers and laptops, cellphones and iPads. Possibly a significant segment of older boomers are simply reading ebooks on non-dedicated devices, and simply don't feel the need for dedicated devices. I would point out that older boomers would be expected to be "more comfortable" with PCs, given that they have been around longer. And we know that PDFs read on PCs are still a significant portion of ebook usage.

At any rate, the research indicates that older boomers are simply finding other methods of entertainment than dedicated devices... that's all.

[jocampo]

I can't classify myself on any of those. IT guy and love all kind of gadgets. I could be an X, but as per that table, I fall under Millenial gen? hahaha...

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by rhadin

I don't find it hard to believe. That would represent the approximate number of people in that age category who still do physical exercise on a routine basis.

Great idea, Richard!

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

We should also consider that members of any of the demographics can read ebooks on other devices such as computers and laptops, cellphones and iPads. Possibly a significant segment of older boomers are simply reading ebooks on non-dedicated devices, and simply don't feel the need for dedicated devices. I would point out that older boomers would be expected to be "more comfortable" with PCs, given that they have been around longer. And we know that PDFs read on PCs are still a significant portion of ebook usage.

That was my thought. Dedicated ebook readers aren't the only way to read ebooks. My normal ebook reader, for example, is a PDA. And while I don't have numbers to cite, I suspect more people read ebooks on a smartphone with a reader app than with a dedicated reader. You always have your phone with you, but may not always carry a reader.

And for older folks who need to boost the font size, well, "large type" paper books do exist and are available for a lot of the stuff people read for recreation, so a dedicated reader isn't exactly a necessity.
______
Dennis

[FF2]

Older boomer. I lack a game console and a tablet. And Ken Maltby is pretty on target - former computer programmer here - cobol in the early 70's and then a career change but never lost interest in the gadgets. Hey, I just noticed they left out my gps-ssssssssss!

[PG4003]

Originally Posted by Girl Read Write

I'm a Millenial? I always thought I was a part of that fabulous Generation X!!!

Don't complain, I'm an Older Boomer!!! Never been called that before.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Girl Read Write

I'm a Millenial? I always thought I was a part of that fabulous Generation X!!!

Yeah, those definitions always change. In Douglas Coupland's "Generation X," (1991) which was the book that invented the term, he described Generation X as being those people born in the late '50s or early '60s and who basically lived in the shadow of the baby boomers, but had nothing to do with the baby boomers, even though, technically, they were probably considered baby boomers.

But - sort of consistent with his point, actually - the media took the Gen X label away from these folks and applied it to the first post-baby boomer generation.

[chamekke]

It's really impossible to generalize about "older folks". The only comment I'd like to make about the G.I. Generation (of whom my late father was a member) is that they are members of a generation who were often - NOT always - skipped over by the computer revolution, and thus may be relatively inexperienced computer users. While many of them are curious/willing to try computers, this demographic is also exceptionally vulnerable to being scared off altogether by scary stories about online scams, the risks of unsafe e-commerce sites and so forth.

My dad, for example, was understandably very nervous about online banking and when (or if) it was safe to make online credit-card transactions. Once I ensured he had some decent computer security and got him RoboForm to help him with entering strong passwords and so forth, he was a complete convert. (Especially once he saw how incredibly convenient and easy it actually was!)

I mention this because in many/most cases, e-commerce is key to owning an e-reader and stocking it with books. If you're not familiar and comfortable with making online transactions, you may think twice about embracing this technology. There's much more involved than simply being able to use a computer, or even being able to use the Web.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by chamekke

It's really impossible to generalize about "older folks"...

Well, let's face it: This is a statistical sample; it simultaneously generalizes about every group, and by its existence leaves out a significant portion of every group that does not fit their generalization. (I don't fit it either.)

Not to mention the fact that the age categories don't really mean much overall, they're just media-inspired placeholders... and that they left out a significant segment (under 18) in their analysis. And finally, the fact that we already know that, after the holidays, all of these figures have certainly undergone a change.

If Pew tried to redo this research, my suggestion would be not only to include under-18 in the study, but break the age categories up by tens, either by the zeros or by the fives, in order to get a better breakdown of device use.

And even if they do that... it'll still be a generalization.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I'm very surprised that 3% of people over 75 have an mp3 player. I find it hard to believe.

Why? These were the ones who made Rock Music what it is today! They bought first Elvis, later the Stones, James Brown, Sam Cooke... They were young in the 70s. My mother dated Jimi Hendrix (says he stank and she was not that interested cause he did drugs )

My Mum (71) walks her dog with her walkman singing and dancing all the way. Last year I had to accompany her to the Michael Jackson movie. Her ex-boyfriend has an IPhone4, thus no need for an extra MP3player but is listening to it all the time when skiing or boarding, he does snowboarding and wakeboarding, being 73! My moms neighbor travels Europe to visit Stones Concerts (70) and two weeks ago I went to dinner with a guy who flys his own plane being 70.

I was wondering why the figures are so low in this age bracket...