No. 28 - Watching television

Television viewing accounts for the largest share of the free time of older persons. In 1999, people aged 60 and over watched television an average of 4.8 hours per day, almost two hours more per day than the figure for those between the ages of 18 and 59.

Women in older age ranges generally watch more television than their male counterparts. In 1999, women aged 60 and over averaged 5.1 hours per day watching television, compared with 4.5 hours for men in the same age range.

News and public affairs account for the largest share of the television-viewing time of older Canadians. In 1999, 34% of the viewing time of people aged 60 and over, close to 2 hours per day, was devoted to news and public affairs. In fact, people aged 60 and over were more much more likely to watch this type of programming than those between the ages of 18 and 59. Of the remaining television-viewing time of people aged 60 and over, 24% was spent watching dramas, 14% went to variety and game shows, 9% to sports, 7% went to either documentaries or instructional television and 6% was devoted to comedies.

Average number of hours per day spent watching Television, 1999

Source: Statistics Canada