Older internet users most likely to use top 10 sites

IRELAND’S top 10 websites are more likely to be visited by computer buffs in their golden years than those enjoying their first flush of youth.

New research from Net Behaviour shows that last year almost 90% of internet users aged 55 and over visited the search engine Google, the nation’s number one website.

By contrast 79% of computer users aged 16 and 17 visited Google, also putting teenagers behind the 86% of computer-savvy 45 to 54-year-olds who ‘Googled’ for everything from news to gossip and facts.

A similar pattern was observed with the nation’s second most popular website, Yahoo!, despite its youth-oriented appeal.

The figures also point to an unexpected age divide uniting computer users aged over 45 with those in the 25 to 34 years age bracket.

These two groups were the most likely to visit Ireland’s top 10 websites than those aged 16 to 24 and computer users aged 35 to 44.

Compiled by Monitrak Research, the study also shows many of the internet’s household names are outside the top 10 most visited.

MSN Instant Messenger, which is akin to online texting, was Ireland’s 11th most popular website and was used by 27% of all computer users. Youtube, Bebo, Daft.ie, and Ticketmaster.ie were last year used by less than 26% of the computer-savvy public compared with the 48% logging onto Ireland’s joint-third websites, which were Aerlingus.ie and Ryanair.ie.

The Net Behaviour and Monitrak research looked at 500 Irish and worldwide websites accessed by a broad sample of computer users at home and work during 2007 across Ireland.

Based on the research, Net Behaviour figures show that 25 to 34-year-olds were the most active age group among Ireland’s estimated 1.5 million computer users.

About 420,000 computer users in the 25 to 34 age bracket visited Ireland’s top 30 websites last year.

Ireland’s 18 to 24-year-olds were in second place with 23% or 340,000 visiting the top 30.

In third were the 300,000 computer users, aged 35 to 44, who accounted for 20% of visitors to the top 30 websites.

Emmet Kelly, of Net Behaviour, said an analysis of the top 10 showed those aged 45 and over were using the internet for commonplace purposes like booking a flight, buying a home and searching for information.

“What makes younger users special is their different types of behaviour (on the internet,” he said.

“They are much more sophisticated users.”

Younger consumers are using the internet for blogs — online diaries recording opinions and observations — as well as hooking up with friends on social sites like Bebo, and logging onto music websites like MySpace and MTV.

Among computer users in their 20s, the most popular site was Bebo, which was visited by 36% of those sampled, while in joint-second were MSN Instant Messenger and Myhome.ie (both 33%). Youtube, on 32%, was third.

The Net Behaviour Report is available on www.thetannoy.com