Key insights:

  • Half of Americans are cautious adopters, preferring to wait until others try new products first (50%).
  • Younger and higher-income adults lead the way: 9% of adults aged 25-34, 10% of 35-44, and 8% of higher-income adults identify as early adopters.
  • Older and lower-income groups face barriers: 26% of adults aged 55+ and 26% of lower-income Americans say they are not very interested in technology, while 19% of older adults and 15% of lower-income adults find it hard to learn new technology.

From the latest YouGov Profiles data, a picture emerges of Americans’ relationship with technology that’s less about headline-grabbing innovation and more about caution, capability, and confidence.

For all the talk of “early adopters,” the reality is more restrained. Half of American adults (50%) say they are not usually the first to show interest in new technology and prefer to wait until others have tried it. That tendency grows with age, with a majority of those 55 and older (53%) describing themselves this way.

At the other end of the spectrum, the archetypal early adopter, someone who both shows interest and buys new products first, is a rare breed. Just 6% of adults overall identify this way. Younger groups stand out slightly: 9% of adults aged 25-34-year and 10% of 35-44 embrace the “first in line” label. But after 45, those numbers fall sharply.

One in five Americans (22%) say they simply aren’t interested in new technology products at all, with that share climbing to 26% among those aged 55 and over.

Income is a clear dividing line. Higher-income Americans (earning more than 200% of the median) are not only more open to new technology, but also more confident in their ability to use it. Eight percent of higher-income adults describe themselves as first buyers, compared with just 5% of those with lower incomes. On the flip side, a quarter of lower-income adults (26%) say they are not very interested in new technology at all, double the rate of their higher-income peers (13%). Middle-income groups tend to reflect the national average: around half (51%) prefer to wait before buying.

If adoption is about when people engage with technology, literacy is about how. Here the data shows a split between confidence and caution.

A slim majority of Americans (51%) say they are “ok” at learning new technology, while nearly four in ten (38%) consider themselves quick learners. But age makes a striking difference: 53% of adults aged 18-24 describe themselves as quick to pick things up, compared with just 24% of those aged 55 and over. In fact, nearly one in five older adults (19%) admit they find it hard to learn new technology.

Income once again plays a defining role. Half of higher-income adults (49%) see themselves as quick learners of new technology, compared to just a third of lower-income adults (34%). Difficulty is also more prevalent at the lower end of the income spectrum: 15% of lower-income adults say they struggle, versus just 5% of higher-income adults.

For tech brands, the data underlines a core truth: innovation alone isn’t enough. Winning over the cautious majority (50%) requires messaging that emphasizes trust, reliability, and support. Early adopters, concentrated among younger and higher-income groups, remain valuable influencers, but long-term success depends on making technology accessible to the larger, more hesitant mainstream.

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between August 2024 and August 2025, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in the US and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.