• by P.J. Bednarski , Staff Writer @pjbtweet, December 15, 2016

Nearly two-thirds of American consumers own at least one Internet of Things-categorized device. Nearly half of them own a smart TV.

And a new Interactive Advertising Report says 65% of them are “willing” to receive ads on IoT screens.

This report impresses that IoT owners are likely to be college educated millennials. And that seems to be true when you look at the whole shopping cart of devices studied for the IAB.

But a closer look at the data discloses that connected TVs are the only things whose biggest swell of users are older--41% of them are 35-54.

They are also less likely to have children living in their household and they’re less wealthy. They are also very much less likely to call themselves “tech junkies.” Only 35% of them would accept that nametag.

And perhaps it’s worth noting, they are also less receptive to advertising, though 66% of them approve.  

The IoT items the IAB charted were connected TVs, VR headsets, voice command, smart glasses, smart appliances, health trackers, smart watches and connected cars.

It’s possible to infer a lot of conclusion from this research, or none at all. But it would seem that because connected TVs are the most like conventional TVs, and because everybody has a TV, that crossover is a kind of backward gateway device for older consumers to get into the more sci-fi IoT universe of gadgets.

Among people who don’t own any of these things, 39% are interested in connected TVs. But in second place are connected cars, with 18-34s overindexing there.

The August research was conducted by  MARU VCR&C’s Springboard America online panel using an online survey, completed by 1,200 participants 18 to 74.

Owners of connected eyeglasses are most open to ads--95% of them are willing to be sold through their specs. (They’re also the youngest: 66% of them are 18-34).

Owners of VR devices and owners of Internet-connected appliances are right behind them--89% are willing to get ads.

I presume there isn’t now much advertising on any of those devices, but this IAB survey suggests consumers won’t complain much.

Another interesting attitudinal chart makes it clear 18 to 34 year old men are the most bullish on technology--54% of them say they “feel good” about technology. And they are opposed by older women: 41% of females, 55-74 don’t exactly hate technology but they’re decidedly lukewarm.