Business in Berkshire - Silver Surfers Prefer Internet to the Garden

Retirees are spending more time surfing the net than ever before according to a recent survey. In fact the more traditional pastimes like gardening and DIY are slipping down the popularity stakes.

The survey, conducted by insurance firm AXA, revealed that retirees spend on average 6 hours online every week, with 41% claiming surfing the net was one of their favourite pastimes. It’s clear that older people are embracing the convenience of the internet and welcoming the technology into their lives.

Staying in touch with friends and family via email was the most popular reason for using the internet (84%) closely followed by researching information (83%). 28% of those polled use the internet to help keep up with the latest news, whilst almost 70% use it to keep in touch with their children. Indeed 40% use the internet to keep in touch with their grandchildren.

Many are also using the net to make purchases online, with almost half saying they regularly shop online whilst a third use the net for their online banking. Many use the net to purchase travel tickets or simply to do their weekly shopping – saving the hassle and stress of a trip to a busy supermarket.

So when they’re not surfing the internet, what do retirees like to do with their time? Gardening and DIY – traditional pastimes of the elderly – fell into joint 2nd place (39%) with travel and walking taking 3rd place with 28%.

www.businessinberkshire.co.uk

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