2025 Media Preferences of Older Adults: Consumer Survey and Marketing Implications
As the Medicare market has grown to more than 68 million Americans, understanding how older adults navigate both traditional and digital media is more important than ever. Our 2025 Media Preferences of Older Adults survey provides fresh insights into evolving media habits, comfort with digital environments and the enduring value of established channels.
We recently conducted our eighth annual survey to get a current snapshot into the behaviors, preferences and trends shaping how older adults consume media today. Flip through the survey, then keep reading below to see the takeaways and marketing implications that stood out to us.
Key survey takeaways
Digital confidence and technology adoption
- Older adults demonstrate high levels of digital confidence – 36% rate confidence between 8 and 10 on a 10-point scale – and their digital activity highlights practical adoption patterns to complete everyday tasks.
- Television remains the most commonly used device, but technology adoption is widespread with 89% of respondents using a smartphone.
Media consumption patterns
- Television leads media consumption time with 53% of respondents watching at least four hours of TV daily. Internet usage follows, with 30% of respondents spending four or more hours online a day.
- When it comes to streaming TV – respondents’ most popular source for entertainment – price sensitivity is strong. Most choose ad-supported models over ad-free tiers.
- Facebook dominates among social media platforms, with 73% using the site daily and 88% visiting weekly.
Online behaviors, motivations and attitudes
- The internet is ubiquitous across all aspects of older adults’ lives, from practical usage (like banking) to entertainment (like social media or games).
- For 74% of respondents, television is their primary source for new products or services. Still, the top choice of action for respondents shows a delayed action pattern, with 38% noting they’d research the product or service at a later time.
Health management and insurance engagement
- When it comes to health, older adults focus on basic maintenance rather than proactive management.
- For Medicare information, the majority prefer phone calls with representatives and reject online or in-person meetings.
Marketing implications
The survey responses can help marketers target and connect with the older adult audience via digital and media platforms. Take a look throughout the deck for a detailed breakdown of participant responses to each question, elucidating their intents and preferences when it comes to media use.
Download a PDF version of the deck here. The 2025 survey on the media preferences of older adults included the responses of 648 people between the ages of 63 and 75. For more insight into the Medicare-eligible population, check out other recent surveys from our Consumer In Sight team.
Any questions? Reach out to Media Logic today.
