Four out of 10 Irish people aged over 50 use the internet, with Google and Facebook being among their most-used websites, according to research.
A survey of 500 adults aged 50 and over was undertaken by Amárach Research for the upcoming Business of Ageing conference.
The results showed that four in 10 people over 50 use the internet, with 95pc of those using the internet at home.
Google was seen to be the most popular website, with 38pc of participants preferring the site. Facebook came second at 19pc and Ryanair came in third at 19pc. In joint fourth position was RTE.ie and MSN Hotmail.
Some 80pc of those over 50 have an email account and 37pc have a Skype account.
Twenty-nine per cent of survey participants were on Facebook. There were twice as many Facebook users among the over-50 group in Dublin than in Munster or Connaught/Ulster.
Some 52pc use online banking and only 2pc have a blog.
Two out of three survey participants have made online purchases, including flights, holidays and insurance.
In terms of mobile usage, 80pc of the group have a mobile phone and six out of ten said they sent text messages.
