US seniors see slow migration to tech: study

WASHINGTON: American senior citizens are gradually finding their way to the Internet, but lagging the overall population in online usage, a survey showed Thursday.

The Pew Research Center report showed that 59 percent of US adults age 65 or older use the Internet -- up six percentage points from a year ago. And 47 percent have a high-speed broadband connection at home.

But that leaves 41 percent who do not use the Internet at all, and 53 percent lacking high-speed connectivity, the researchers found. For the overall US population, Pew estimates 86 percent use the Internet.

"We've been reporting on tech use among older adults for more than a decade, but this particular study is unique because it was based on a large survey that allows us to look at seniors in a more detailed way than we have in the past," researcher Aaron Smith said.

"Although technology use among older adults overall remains low, there is actually quite a bit of diversity within the senior population."

The researchers found that the relatively young -- under 70 -- affluent, and highly educated segment of this population "is actually quite connected," Smith said.

"These seniors own a fair number of technology assets, have integrated the Internet into their daily lives, and have positive attitudes towards online life."

Some 74 percent of those in the 65-69 age group used the Internet, and two-thirds of them said they had a high-speed connection.

But the percentage going online drops to 37 percent for those over 80, the survey found.

Among seniors with an annual household income of $75,000 or more, 90 percent go online; and 87 percent of those with a college degree use the Internet.

Pew said many seniors have physical conditions or health issues that make it difficult to use new technologies. Others find the technology challenging and some are skeptical about benefits.

In the survey, just one-sixth of the older adults said they would feel comfortable learning to use a new technology device such as a smartphone or tablet on their own, while 77 percent would prefer someone to help walk them through the process.

But when they get online, most seniors keep using the Internet. Among Internet-adopting seniors, 71 percent are online every day or almost every day.

In terms of other technology usage, 77 percent of US seniors said they had a mobile phone, but just 18 percent had a smartphone.

Twenty-seven percent of seniors said they had a tablet or e-reader, Pew found.

The study found 27 percent of older adults use social networking sites such as Facebook, but these users were quite active: some 81 percent of the respondents who use social networking sites say that they socialize with others either in person, online, or over the telephone on a daily or near-daily basis.

The researchers said services like Facebook were helping maintain social connections in a population with limited mobility.

Still, the percentage of seniors using social networks lagged the 63 percent of the general population.

The report is based on a survey of 6,010 adults including 1,526 over 65, taken between July 18 and September 30, 2013. The margin of error for the senior group is estimated at 2.9 percentage points.

 

US seniors see slow migration to tech: study

WASHINGTON: American senior citizens are gradually finding their way to the Internet, but lagging the overall population in online usage, a survey showed Thursday.

The Pew Research Center report showed that 59 percent of US adults age 65 or older use the Internet -- up six percentage points from a year ago. And 47 percent have a high-speed broadband connection at home.

But that leaves 41 percent who do not use the Internet at all, and 53 percent lacking high-speed connectivity, the researchers found. For the overall US population, Pew estimates 86 percent use the Internet.

"We've been reporting on tech use among older adults for more than a decade, but this particular study is unique because it was based on a large survey that allows us to look at seniors in a more detailed way than we have in the past," researcher Aaron Smith said.

"Although technology use among older adults overall remains low, there is actually quite a bit of diversity within the senior population."

The researchers found that the relatively young -- under 70 -- affluent, and highly educated segment of this population "is actually quite connected," Smith said.

"These seniors own a fair number of technology assets, have integrated the Internet into their daily lives, and have positive attitudes towards online life."

Some 74 percent of those in the 65-69 age group used the Internet, and two-thirds of them said they had a high-speed connection.

But the percentage going online drops to 37 percent for those over 80, the survey found.

Among seniors with an annual household income of $75,000 or more, 90 percent go online; and 87 percent of those with a college degree use the Internet.

Pew said many seniors have physical conditions or health issues that make it difficult to use new technologies. Others find the technology challenging and some are skeptical about benefits.

In the survey, just one-sixth of the older adults said they would feel comfortable learning to use a new technology device such as a smartphone or tablet on their own, while 77 percent would prefer someone to help walk them through the process.

But when they get online, most seniors keep using the Internet. Among Internet-adopting seniors, 71 percent are online every day or almost every day.

In terms of other technology usage, 77 percent of US seniors said they had a mobile phone, but just 18 percent had a smartphone.

Twenty-seven percent of seniors said they had a tablet or e-reader, Pew found.

The study found 27 percent of older adults use social networking sites such as Facebook, but these users were quite active: some 81 percent of the respondents who use social networking sites say that they socialize with others either in person, online, or over the telephone on a daily or near-daily basis.

The researchers said services like Facebook were helping maintain social connections in a population with limited mobility.

Still, the percentage of seniors using social networks lagged the 63 percent of the general population.

The report is based on a survey of 6,010 adults including 1,526 over 65, taken between July 18 and September 30, 2013. The margin of error for the senior group is estimated at 2.9 percentage points.

Pakistan chief selector says picking seniors backfired

Latif, who took over as chief selector on Tuesday, said Pakistan´s decision to select too many senior players at the expense of youth had led to their downfall.

"Just like Australia failed in their plans of selecting senior players, Pakistan also fumbled because of selecting senior players," said the former captain and wicketkeeper.

He declined to name any players but speculation is likely to focus on keeper Kamran Akmal and all-rounder Shoaib Malik, both aged 32 and recalled to the tournament after long periods out of the side.

Akmal scored just 48 runs in four outings, performing only moderately behind the stumps, while Malik hit 52 runs in the tournament and was not given a chance to bowl.

Both were selected for their experience but could not prevent Pakistan from being shot out for a paltry 82 -- their second-lowest total ever -- in pursuit of 167 runs.

Latif also joined a chorus of ex-players decrying Pakistan´s batting in particular for once again letting them down on the big stage."West Indies were outstanding in their batting and Pakistan were shocking," he said.

"They won the match because of outstanding batting and we lost it because of our batsmen."

After being pinned down for the first 15 overs, Dwayne Bravo (46 off 26 balls) and skipper Darren Sammy (42 off 20) lifted the West Indies by smashing a whopping 82 runs in the last five overs to take their team´s total to 166-5. Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad was bowled for a duck on the first ball, and Pakistan thereafter never looked in the game.

Former batting great Javed Miandad termed the defeat insipid."Fans and former players can accept defeat but if you lose without putting up a good fight, like Pakistan did last night, it´s unacceptable," said Miandad.

"This is a fact that Pakistan do not have quality players in batting but the team was not as bad as it looked against the West Indies," said Miandad. "The way they were stumped off spinners was shameful."

Ex-batsman Mohammad Yousuf, renowned for his elegant technique during his playing days, blamed an inability to rotate the strike under pressure for the batting failure.

"Not a single batsman in the team has proper technique to deal with the spinners and hitting fours and sixes is not the only way to bat," he said.

Team coach Moin Khan, meanwhile, said Pakistan must address its flaws in batting before their series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates in October.

"We have a big five month gap in our next series so we need to improve on our batting in training camps," said Khan, who was appointed coach for the preceding Asia Cup and World Twenty20 only.