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In April
2003, the Pew Charitable Foundation Internet and American Life
Project released the results of its most recent national survey on
Internet usage. The new report, “The Ever-Shifting Internet
Population: A New Look at Internet Access and the Digital
Divide,” reveals that over 40% of the adult population say they
do not use the Internet. Almost a quarter of Americans have never
been online, and the study termed another 20% of the non-users
“Net Dropouts.”
Non-usage
among American seniors was even more pronounced than in the past.
Only 18% of those 65 and older reported having Internet access,
and seniors represent just 4% of those online.
Some 28% of Internet non-users are 65 and older, and 79% of those
claim they will never go online. (See www.pewinternet.org
for the complete report.)
Reports
by the U.S. Census and the Pew Internet Project over the past
several years have indicated that only a small number of the age
65+ traditional planned giving market have access to or routinely
utilize the Internet. The most recent Pew Study discovered a
“gray gap”; aging baby boomers and senior citizens were the
group most resistant to the Internet (see the September 2002 issue
of Give & Take at www.sharpenet.com/gt). Those studies found
that only 12-15%
of seniors regularly use the Internet. Previous studies have
revealed:
- 49% of those 50-64 do not go online.
- More than 70% of those over 50 who are not online do not plan to gain Internet access.
- 13% of those not online in 2000 were former Internet users who have become Internet
dropouts, compared with 17% in 2002.
- 66% of 60-64 year-olds do not go online.
Undoubtedly, the use of the Internet will continue to grow as the U.S.
population ages, but gift planners should be cognizant of the
Internet’s limitations—especially in light of the rush by some
to exploit the Internet for fund-raising purposes. Some seniors
are plugged into life on the Internet, but independent studies
reveal that most are not and have no wish to be.
Among Internet non-users, the main reasons cited for not being online
were the following:
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52% |
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52% |
- Worries about content and fraud
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43% |
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30% |
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29% |
- “The Internet is too complicated and hard to understand.”
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27% |
The message here is clear: Fundraisers should use age-appropriate
media and marketing strategies to reach the traditional planned
giving market, while utilizing the Internet among those that
prefer this medium. For the foreseeable future, it may be
advantageous to maintain traditional means of communication
including the telephone, mail, personal contact, and group
presentations, while thoughtfully laying the foundation for
communicating effectively with future generations of planned
givers.
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