• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 10, 2021

Boomers reveal that the “exhausting” pandemic has upended their lives, according to new research from integrated cross-cultural marketing agency Sensis. 

Many Boomers’ adult children have been forced to move home, sometimes bringing their own kids, forcing the older generation to overhaul their lives and habits.

These changes have put a strain on families, per the report. The percentage of Boomers saying they enjoy spending time with their kids dropped from 52% in November 2019 to 44% in July 2020. Well, the family love wasn’t exactly off the charts to begin with, sounds like. 

“Boomers aren't as isolated as we thought,” says José Villa, president-Chief Strategy Officer, Sensis. “We imagined they were unable to see their families and grandchildren due to the pandemic. We found [they] actually needed time away from family.”

Boomers also report being tired of social media as a result of the pandemic. Only 37% said they were excited about connecting with family and friends over social media in 2020, compared with 50% in 2019. 

Their use of Facebook has also decreased from 77% in November 2019 who said they used the platform within the past 30 days to 61% who said the same in July 2020.

One of the more surprising finds was the precipitous drop in social media use by Asian Boomers during the pandemic, adds Dino Hainline, creative strategy leader, Sensis. Before the pandemic 58% were excited about connecting with family over social media. That dropped to 35% during the pandemic. Caucasians also had a significant drop from 49% to 35%.

“Advertisers need to be aware that in a post-COVID world, Boomers are going to want to get away,” says Villa. “They may not be as interested in getting away with family. If they do, it has to be an environment that is different from what they've been experiencing this past year. It's almost like they've been experiencing claustrophobia.” 

Or a year-long case of cabin fever. I totally get it. More from the report can be found here.