E-mail Population is Aging: Survey

Maybe one day e-mail will be just for seniors.

According to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 74% of all Web users age 64 and older send and receive e-mail, making it the most popular online activity for this group.

And the biggest recent increase in Internet use has come from people between the ages of 70 and 75. Only 26% of these folks were online in 2005. That number is now 45%.

At the same time, e-mail has lost some ground among teens. Whereas 89% claimed to use it in 2004, only 73% now say they do.

Still, the poll shows that just 4% of the online population is 73 or older, compared with 30% for people 18 to 32. And 23% are 33 to 44 years old.

Overall, more than 90% of all Internet users between the ages of 18 and 72 send and receive e-mail. This makes it the top online application, just ahead of search engines.