Senior Surfers

Bucking the stereotype of senior citizens as technophobes, a recent study found that computer ownership and Internet use among older Americans have risen rapidly during the last three years.

Almost 70% of seniors who have a home computer have access to the Net, up from 20% in 1995, according to the study sponsored by investment firm Charles Schwab and SeniorNet, a nonprofit group that provides computer training for older Americans.

The report also found that about 40% of Americans 50 and older have a personal computer, compared with 29% three years ago.

Seniors with Net access report spending an average of five hours a week online, and 15% say they spend more than 10 hours per week on the Net. The most popular online activities among senior citizens are exchanging e-mail, getting news, researching travel and checking local weather pages.

The random sampled survey of 603 senior citizens was conducted by Neuwirth Research, a market research firm.