Smart Home Technology: Among People Aged 65-74;
Credit: Statec, Survey on Internet Use (ICT)
On Monday 26 January 2026, Luxembourg's national statistics agency, STATEC, published details of a report on the tendencies of internet use among people aged 65 to 74.
Carried out with funding from the European Commission, the Survey on Internet Use (ICT) took place in 2024 and was published in January 2026, with the aim to highlight the expansion of digital access and online habits among older residents and to compare developments since 2019.
According to the data, elderly people in Luxembourg are increasingly connected to the internet. In 2024, 94% of people in the 65 to 74 age group lived in a household with internet access, compared with 85% in 2019, confirming “a near-universal level of connectivity” in this age group. Internet use also increased in frequency, with 57% of people using the internet several times per day and a further 22% using it once a day or almost once a day.
According to STATEC, people in this age group mainly use the internet to communicate, to access information and to manage administrative procedures. The most common online activities included communicating by email, using online banking services, finding information on goods and services, reading online news, searching for health-related information, making calls including video calls, downloading or printing official documents, using instant messaging services and booking medical appointments online.
The survey also highlighted differences in digital behaviour between men and women in the targeted age group. Men tended to use email, online banking services and online information searches more frequently, while women proportionally used direct communication tools such as video calls and instant messaging more often.
Despite increased internet use, online shopping remained less widespread among older residents, with nearly half (47%) of respondents aged 65 to 74 having made at least one online purchase. This compares with 79% of people aged 25 to 34 and 76% of those aged 35 to 44 and 45 to 54.
The most common online purchases among the older age group include clothing and accessories, printed books, accommodation, transport tickets, event tickets, streaming services, online press subscriptions, medicines and food supplements, furniture and home accessories, downloadable software, as well as e-books and audiobooks.
In terms of connected devices, elderly people most frequently used connected televisions, followed by connected cars (vehicles equipped with internet) and other devices such as smartwatches, smart glasses and wireless earphones. STATEC noted that the adoption of smart home devices in this age group mainly focused on connected televisions.
