Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
29 January 2015 09:41
Three times as many older people are going online now than two years ago
Over two-fifths of British people over the age of 65 are 'silver surfers' using the internet, compared to less than a third two years ago.
Ofcom figures show that the 42% of online over-65s now do so via a variety of means, not just PCs but with tablets and smartphones too.
They're also using a wide variety of apps and websites to fulfil everyday tasks like banking and arranging seniors travel insurance.
Internet banking boom
More and more people are interacting with their banks using online facilities. Some banks report they are seeing more new online users in their 70s and 80s than those in younger age groups.
The British Bankers' Association (BBA) says nearly a third of people (30%) older than 70 are banking online, some 2.3 million people.
What's more, 450,000 people over the age of 60 are doing their banking on mobile devices.
The take-up of mobile banking across the population is forcing banks to change the way they do business sooner than expected.
It is likely to see more branch closures as more and more older customers do their banking online. One in five (20%) bank customers over the age of 80 and more than one in three (36%) people between the ages of 70 and 79 are registered to bank online.
Although older customers are less likely than those who are younger to be registered bank online, there is little difference between the age groups in how often they do it, the BBA figures show.
Changing online attitudes
The Ofcom Media Use and Attitudes Report shows the use of applications and the internet for any purpose among 65 to 74-year-olds has more than trebled from 5% in 2012 to 17%.
Furthermore, a fifth of people in this age group are now using mobile internet and apps on smartphones. The rate was 12% two years ago.
The figures also show that internet users over the age of 65 are the least likely to use security features and also to report any security problems when they are online.
26 September 2018
Loneliness amongst over-50s is set to soar over the coming decades, a leading charity has warned.
[more...]
25 September 2018
Two leading charities have called for better mental health support to be made available for patients living with breast cancer.
22 September 2018
The NHS should switch to electric vehicles across its organisations, health officials have advised.
21 September 2018
UK holidaymakers could be missing out on more than 60 direct flight routes thanks to Air Passenger Duty (APD), a report suggests.
20 September 2018
Living in areas with high levels of air pollution could be linked to an increased risk of dementia, new research suggests.
19 September 2018
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are shelling out tens of thousands of pounds for care - and many are unable to cover the costs, a leading charity has warned.
18 September 2018
As much as £6 of every £10 spent on domestic flights in the UK goes on Air Passenger Duty (APD), new research suggests.
15 September 2018
UK driving licences might become invalid in certain European countries if the UK crashes out of the EU with no deal, the Government has warned.
14 September 2018
Online crowdfunding for cancer treatments is indirectly advancing the rise of alternative "quack" therapies, experts have warned.
13 September 2018
A "wee-stick" like those used in pregnancy testing could be employed to prevent thousands of deaths from ovarian cancer.
11 September 2018
As many as 1.3 million passengers endured severe flight delays in the last year, a new study reveals.
08 September 2018
British Airways customers are cancelling their credit cards after the carrier was hit by a 15-day data breach that compromised the details of around 380,000 people.