90% of consumers favor receiving business communications through SMS. But does this include older adults? Are seniors texting too?
98% of texts are read, often within 90 seconds, with 45% response rates. In contrast, email has an average 38% open rate and 6% response rate.
But, seniors texting is often a concern for companies thinking of implementing an SMS solution, as the idea that seniors are too far behind the technology learning curve remains pervasive.
However, this idea is not only inaccurate, it’s damaging for both older adults and businesses who want to reach them.
To better engage and serve customers of all ages, companies should meet them where they are—and for most people (yes, even older people), that’s SMS.
Texting Transcends Age
Ten years ago, in 2014, 80% of younger Americans owned a smartphone, while only 50% of adults 50+ owned one.
Today, that gap is closing. 97% of adults under 49 and 89% of adults aged 50-64 own a smartphone.
It’s true that younger adults remain highly-engaged with their smartphones and texts, with Millenials sending and receiving 75 texts per day on average and Gen Z, over 128.
Younger generations often prefer text because it’s fast, easy, and non-intrusive. However, older people understand this too.
Though some technology has a learning curve, texting is accessible: it’s easy to use, doesn’t require an internet connection, and today, can be used with even the most basic mobile phone.
Statistics around seniors texting are consistently growing year after year, proving seniors do text, and texting is becoming their primary communication channel.
Let’s get into 25 statistics that prove seniors are texting.
25 Statistics Around Seniors Texting
1. 99% of people aged 50-64 and 98% of people 65+ own a mobile phone. (Source: Pew Research)
(Source: Pew Research)
2. 77% of adults aged 70 and older use smartphones. (Source: AARP)
3. Smartphone ownership among adults aged 65+ grew by 4x from 2012-2021. (Source: Retirement Living)
(Source: Retirement Living)
4. Among adults 50+, 95% use their smartphone to send instant messages, texts or emails. (Source: AARP)
5. For adults aged 60-69, 92% use their phones for SMS, instant messages, or emails. (Source: AARP)
6. For those ages 50-69, texting has surpassed email as their primary digital communication channel. (Source: Statflo)
7. 98% of adults aged 50+ use their smartphone every day. (Source: AARP)
8. 92% of adults aged 50+ text, with 86% of them texting weekly, and 61% texting every day. (Source: AARP)
9. 94% of adults aged 70+ are texting at least once a week. (Source: Totango)
10. Data from providers has shown that seniors texting, ages 61 to 70, have a 66% response rate to text messages. (Source: artera)
11. 60% of people over 45 say they are just as likely to text as they are to make a phone call. (Source: artera)
“Text messaging is the least invasive and the most accessible [technology] across age groups. It takes the least amount of effort for older adults to use.” Alexis Kuerbis, professor of social work at Hunter College
12. In 2021, a study showed that one in three Americans over 65 preferred texting to phone calls. (Source: StudyFinds)
13. 61% of people aged 53-63 check their phone notifications 1-3 times per hour. (Source: iCarol)
14. People aged 60+ are estimated to spend over 2.5 hours on their phones each day. (Source: Retirement Living)
15. 95% of adults aged 60-69 who own smartphones use them daily. (Source: AARP)
16. Over 70% of adults aged 50-79 rely on technology to stay connected; those in their 50s at 76%, 60s at 79%, and 70s at 72%. (Source: AARP)
17. Of adults aged 60+, 42% agree that texting is a convenient way to communicate with a business, and 57% would favor a company that offers texting. (Source: iCarol)
18. As you can see from the graph below, smartphone dependence is growing among the 65+ population. In their lifetimes, they’ve had to adjust to many different types of technology—and they’re starting to rely on smartphones. (Source: Pew Research)
(Source: Pew Research)
19. Highlighting smartphone adoption, a survey found that adults over 65 even have favorite emojis including the heart (43%) and the happy face (43%). (Source: StudyFinds)
20. Adults 50 and older generally have the same preferences for messaging as younger adults, meaning that similar message content can be effective for both groups. (Source: National Library of Medicine)
21. A study showed that older adults think the benefits of technology greatly outweigh the costs and challenges of technology. (Source: National Library of Medicine)
“Despite the attention that the digital divide has garnered in recent years, a large proportion of older adults use technology to maintain their social networks and make their lives easier…The current study also challenges the assumption that older adults lack the skill and motivation to engage with new technologies.” – William J. Chopik, PhD
22. SMS is the most-used mobile phone function in almost every generation. (Source: RealityMine)
(Source: RealityMine)
23. Through generations, women are more likely to text than men. Women aged 18-34 use SMS more than 3x more often than calling; women aged 45-54 are 8% more likely to text than men of the same age. (Source: RealityMine)
24. People in their 60s are more likely to use their devices to manage medical care than those in their 50s or 70s, particularly among tablet and smartphone owners. (Source: AARP)
25. In healthcare, text messaging has successfully been implemented to better engage older adults—from appointment reminders to medication management. (Source: artera)
For example, Eisenhower Health was worried that their biggest challenge would be to get their largely senior patient population to use text messaging. To their surprise, many senior customers had been able to text with their previous providers, and now expected to text!
As an additional example, Monterey Spine & Joint (MSJ), a physical therapy clinic, implemented texting to reduce call volume and increase answer rates. Though they were worried that their older patient population would refuse to use SMS, they were also surprised by the positive reception.
“What we found out is that a lot of them already used texting with their kids or grandchildren, so we’ve been pretty impressed with the amount of Medicare patients who actually want to text!” – Jason Wilfong, Chief Operating Officer, Monterey Spine & Joint
Seniors Texting: Key Takeaways
Looking at numbers, data, and real examples, it becomes clear that negative ideas around seniors texting are untrue. Older adults, just like younger adults, favor text for its convenience, speed, and ease of use.
With seniors texting more than ever, it becomes clear that SMS is being used regularly by consumers of all ages.
Sales and marketing need to follow consumers. They must stay updated on current trends and meet customers where they are: on their smartphones.
Even if your target market is primarily older adults, you should be providing the option to engage via text.
Verse: The Premier Business Texting Solution
Want to text your customers, but not sure where to start? Verse has you covered.
Verse is a fully-managed, AI-enabled SMS platform that handles texting your leads and prospects for you—so you can focus on serving them.
We provide:
- Instant, 24/7 response
- Fully-managed, omnichannel communications
- Customizable scripts
- Automatic lead qualification
- Real-time, fully-transparent conversation data
- Lead capture forms for your website
- Fast and easy integration with 1000s of CRMs
While texting leads can be a labor-intensive job for your team, it’s easy with Verse.
We’ll provide your prospects with instant response on their preferred channel, anytime. And we provide your team with warm, qualified leads.
If you’re interested in learning more, schedule a call with us today.
