Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, February 10, 2024
Summary
Having the feeling that technology is like a rising escalator moving farther and farther away is more prominent among older than younger adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. Among each successively older group of online adults, a higher share feel that technology is moving too fast for them to keep up. The Covid pandemic gave many online users a temporary respite from feeling overwhelmed by technology, but the feeling has returned to 2021 levels.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults who agree with the statement, “I feel like technology is moving too fast for me to keep up,” split by country and age group.
Technology feels too fast – by country
- Around one in five online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan feel that technology is moving too fast for them to keep up
- Among the socioeconomically elite in China, the share is smaller
- Combining all age groups shows this factor as being relatively stable
Technology overwhelm among Americans
- With each successive age group, more older online adults feel that technology is moving too fast
- Americans aged 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 are similar to each other
Technology overwhelm among Britons
- Online adults in the UK display a similar pattern to Americans, with a higher share of each 10-year older age group agreeing with, “I feel like technology is moving too fast for me to keep up”
Feeling overwhelmed by technology among Germans
- German adults show a profile that is distinctive from other countries, with a technology unease being less clearly age-related as in other countries
- The age 65+ group, however, still has the highest share of those who agree with the statement
Feeling overwhelmed by technology among Japanese
- Among the countries surveyed, Japanese adults reported the highest agreement that technology is moving too fast
- This sentiment is increasingly being felt across all age groups, and especially among older adults, with successively older groups having a relatively higher level than younger groups
Feeling overwhelmed by technology among Chinese
- Among most age groups, the socioeconomically elite online adults in China we surveyed have relatively lower rates than in other countries
- Chinese adults aged 65+ have shown the highest increase in the share of feeling overwhelmed
About MetaFAQs
MetaFAQs are answers to frequently asked questions about technology users. The research results showcase the TUP/Technology User Profile study, MetaFacts’ survey of a representative sample of online adults profiling the full market’s use of technology products and services. The current wave of TUP is TUP/Technology User Profile 2023, which is TUP’s 41st annual.
Current subscribers may use the comprehensive TUP datasets to obtain even more results or tailor these results to fit their chosen segments, services, or products. As subscribers choose, they may use the TUP inquiry service, online interactive tools, or analysis previously published by MetaFacts.
On request, interested research professionals can receive complimentary updates through our periodic newsletter. These include MetaFAQs – brief answers to frequently asked questions about technology users – or TUPdates – analysis of current and essential technology industry topics. To subscribe, contact MetaFacts.
Indexing
Lenses: User Profile
Tables: ATTIFASTxAGECAT
Tags: Age, Age groups, Attitudes, Purchase plans, User Profile
Waves: TUP 2021, TUP 2022, TUP 2023
Item: TUP_doc_2024_0210_life
Feeling-technology-is-moving-too-fast-to-keep-up-TUP-2023-TUP_doc_2024_0210_life-20240412