The bad news is that far fewer seniors use the Internet when compared to the rest of the population. Only 8 percent of seniors age 65 and older have Internet access compared to 40 percent of the under 65 population, according to a 1999 Forrester Research report. For low-income seniors, the numbers are worse. Only 1.5 percent of these seniors access the Internet, according to the Department of Commerce. But other numbers tell a different story.
Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the population to use the Internet.
Approximately 48 percent of seniors ages 65 and older will surf the Internet by 2005, according to Jupiter Communications. More than 23 million Americans, ages 50 and older, used the Internet in 2000. That's more than kids, teens and college students combined. Summit participants pointed out that both the public and private sector continues to reach out to seniors through separate channels of information that thwart coordinated delivery of services. It's a serious stumbling block, according to a number of experts.