I have just seen an unscientific poll on a guitar forum that I found
fascinating, and not because of what it means for playing guitars. In
this poll, almost 41% of those responding were between the ages of 50
and 59. The next largest group, 40-49, is at only 18%.

Like most, if not all of us here, I am a glider pilot. For years
people within the sport (myself included) have been moaning about the
lack of young people coming into soaring. It seems that soaring is
becoming a sport for gray beards.

Yet soaring is not alone because all aviation is seeing the same kind
of shrinking numbers.

Now admittedly, aviation is not a poor man's activity but something
else is at work and I do not know what it is.

It seems that every sailplane, and even, power plane modeler I see is
middle aged. Very few kids.

I also am a motorcyclist and I have seen reports that it too is
becoming (if not has become) an activity for middle-aged people with
few younger people coming up behind.

Name an activity, and the numbers are the same except one.

The numbers reverse if we talk about computer-based activities.
Although some of the early geeks are soon becoming middle aged, they
seem to be a minority.

What accounts for this dichotomy? I can understand how, as you age,
that computer activities may become less engrossing. But I do not
understand why younger people are abandoning these other activities.
We may stand to lose some of the traditional activities if the trend
continues.

Does anyone have an answer? I don't.