I'm a ham. I don't think there's hard data on the 'average age' of hams--it's very anecdotal. Nobody really knows that, and the ARRL or feds don't have the actual age of licensees documented.
I agree that ham radio is 'evolving', but I see that evolving as most often a shift to computer-operated communication and digital tools. It's hard to explain to folks outside of ham radio that this isn't a 'old technology' vs. 'new technology' problem, but more of a path of least resistance: computers are ubiquitous, ham radio equipment is not.
More simply, fewer and fewer folks want to communicate with each other by voice. This sounds trite, but I've found it to be true. Why bother, when digital/text is so immediate and simple?
I was part of my university's ham club. Getting people onboard by saying that you could communicate with Australia is not niche any more in the internet age.
I agree that ham radio is 'evolving', but I see that evolving as most often a shift to computer-operated communication and digital tools. It's hard to explain to folks outside of ham radio that this isn't a 'old technology' vs. 'new technology' problem, but more of a path of least resistance: computers are ubiquitous, ham radio equipment is not.
More simply, fewer and fewer folks want to communicate with each other by voice. This sounds trite, but I've found it to be true. Why bother, when digital/text is so immediate and simple?