Pandemic upping dependence on deliveries, video-watching

How much have people 60 and older started or increased using technology and digital tools in order to deal with the pandemic? That’s a question that was put to 615 Americans by Senior List, an online (seniorlist.com) research team that provides consumer information for older adults. Here’s some of what was learned:

  • The use of grocery delivery or on-demand meal delivery like DoorDash has nearly doubled since the pandemic began, rising from 12 percent to 23 percent.
  • The 60-plus crowd is into TikTok, watching more of the videos than before the pandemic.
  • About 15 percent of older men use the Internet to trade stocks; 2 percent of women do.
  • COVID-19 was the biggest reason (61 percent) for increasing their use of digital or online tools.
  • 15 percent of the survey respondents said adapting to new technologies was “extremely” or “very” challenging.

Compared to their lives pre-pandemic, older adults are more likely now to engage in 13 online activities Senior List asked about, including work, shopping, and communication.