Research from nRelate (a content optimization company) indicates that age and gender are key factors with regard to how people participate in reading online content. As reported by eMarketer: “An October 2012 survey found that younger U.S. web users, especially younger males, had a high propensity to click on related articles and videos after reading online content. Older users tended to click on links to related content on a weekly basis, and women — especially older women — were more likely to be drawn to a story that featured a photo.”
Click the chart for more on this topic.
I personally do not believe that the data collected from ages 18-34 should be presented together. I think the data consists of two different demographics and combining high school graduates/undergraduate college students with post graduate career/family oriented adults does not produce accurate data. Furthermore the author of the article presents their findings in a comparative nature when using verbiage but the graphs present more of a trending type of data. If an online marketer were to use this data in its most effective form it would be best to study the trends of the charts and not the supporting diction.
Good observations
This nRelate study reveals the gender divide between sports and entertainment, which is not a surprise but could suggest untapped market potential (female/sports and male/entertainment). It also shows how much more engaged the younger population is online. A similar study done by Edelman looked at solely the Millenial demographic (born 1980-1995, so 17-32) and kind of content they look for in advertising. The takeaway: younger people are more open to advertising and expect it to be entertaining.
http://www.edelman.com/news/study-finds-millennial-generations-power-to-influence-is-increasing/
agreed