MADRID, 23 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The profile of those over 55 years of age has changed and, in contrast to the prevailing “outdated stereotypes”, they are active, digital people who consume, play sports, are trained, connected, travel, go out and enjoy gastronomy and visits to museums, according to a study carried out by the newspaper 65ymás and Comscore.
Since 2013, those over 65 years of age make up the age group with the highest average income per person and, precisely, their average purchasing power makes them a commercial target, although, according to the study, commercial and advertising communication shapes an image ” stereotyped” of them and they are “the great forgotten” by the brands.
Health, pension and savings, security, talent, leisure, loneliness, the digital divide and housing make up the main concerns of those over 55 years of age. However, this report confirms that seniors are not much more concerned about their health than younger age segments.
After retirement, those over 55 perceive a general feeling of lack of belonging and of wasting their talent. A third would like to be able to combine a paid job with their retirement pension, but the majority would not do it for money, but to stay active.
“The need to have an activity during retirement could be responsible for five million people over 55 consuming online content related to education, a percentage that has increased by 36% since 2018,” says the study. , which stands out, above all, the visits of senior citizens to web pages such as that of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE.es), the National University of Distance Education (UNED) or language platforms.
Concern about pension and savings varies with age. For 69% of those surveyed between the ages of 55 and 59, the pension is among their main concerns, a percentage that drops to 42% among those over 80 years of age.
Another concern that varies with age is housing. In this case, the percentage goes from 41% for people under 45 years of age to 8% for people between 75 and 89 years of age, a result that is consistent with the fact that most of them have a home and are also paid for.
Despite everything, the report finds a brief rebound in this concern for housing among those over 80, something that, according to the authors, “could have to do with problems related to accessibility”, for example, if there is no evidence elevator.
As of January 1, 2022, 16,129,164 people aged 55 or over resided in Spain, which represents 46% more population in this age group than in 2002, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
Currently, 33% of the population in Spain is over 55 years of age, but by 2035 it is estimated that those over 55 will be 40 or 45% of the population. Although the current life expectancy is 80 years for men and 86 years for women, in 2035 it is expected to be three more years.
Contrary to what is considered, the study highlights that most of those over 55 years of age have made a rapid adaptation to the digital world, which makes them aware of their training deficiencies in terms of managing technology and cybersecurity.
However, its massive use of digital media does not prevent it from being an age segment “very sensitive to personal and individual treatment, the product of pre-digital education and socio-cultural values,” the report underlines.
It confirms that the number of people over the age of 55 who access banking content online has skyrocketed by 35% from January 2020 to now, approaching 10 million people, the equivalent of 86%. of the digital population of this age segment.
According to the study, 99% of senior Internet users access the Internet from their mobile phones on a monthly basis, while almost 44% also do so from a computer, which shows that they are ‘multiplatform’ Internet users.
The thematic categories most consumed by those over 55 when browsing the Internet are automotive, beauty and fashion, sports, lifestyle, news, retail, telecommunications and travel.
In fact, those over 55 are the leading affinity segment of the population on online sites in the ‘Travel’ category, which in recent months has been consumed by between 10 and 11 million visitors of this age, according to the study. from Comscore and 65ymás.
More than 90% of senior Internet users visit travel content on a monthly basis, with the pandemic also being a driving force behind this growth.
In a monographic survey carried out by 65ymás, eight out of ten respondents stated that they planned to make more than one trip in the following twelve months.
Regarding the means of transport, the plane (34.1%), the car (30.3%) and the train (26.3%) are the favorite means of seniors and, in regards to the road, Map and traffic applications are used by eight out of ten Internet users over the age of 55, which is 20% more than in January 2020.
Regarding content related to culture, leisure, gastronomy and sports, people over 55 years of age represent a very active social group in their digital consumption: 94% show special interest in issues related to healthy living, while the themes of sport, gastronomy, literature and events are of interest to more than 80% of Internet users of this age.
