When it comes time to sit back and enjoy a game, watch a movie or just relax for a couple of hours, it seems like the options can be almost endless.

Just look at the number of streaming services that are available: The list includes Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Pluto, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, HBO Max (or whatever it goes by these days), Peacock, SNP360, Tubi, Paramount+, the Roku Channel, YouTube — it seems like there’s no end to places you can turn to when it’s time to watch something.

And, while it can sometimes be confusing about where you can go to watch a particular game or program and sometimes be difficult to get into the app or service (there can be such a thing as having too many logins and passwords to remember), the reality is a growing number of people are watching streaming services.

In fact, according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center about a month ago, 83 percent of adults in the United States are using streaming services to access programming. That number is high across all age ranges, according to numbers compiled by the Washington, D.C.-based fact tank.

Numbers are highest among those who are between the ages of 30 and 49 — 92 percent of the Americans in that age group reported they used streaming services. They were followed by those between the ages of 18 and 29 (88 percent) and those between the ages of 50 and 64 (83 percent.)

Even those 65 and older are turning to streaming services — that total is 65 percent.

Only 10 percent of all Americans, the survey revealed, have never used a streaming service.

Streaming all of that programming doesn’t come cheap. The exact cost can sometimes be tough to calculate — some services are bundled into cable TV subscriptions, while others need to be paid for on a continuing basis. Further jumbling all of that is that 28 percent of Americans subscribe to cable or satellite TV and watch streaming services, while 55 percent of Americans subscribe to streaming services only.

There remain 8 percent of Americans who subscribe to neither, preferring to get their programming the old-fashioned way — by attaching an antenna to your TV and grabbing the signals that are available over the air. (If you haven’t tried that recently, you’d be surprised at the variety of programming that you’ll be able to receive.)

Depending on the streaming service, you likely will be paying $10 or so each month for each one, and when you start to do those calculations, you’ll find that it starts to add up. Still, Pew found that 44 percent of users say the services are worth their cost. It’s probably significant that 31 percent said the services are not worth the cost, and even more interesting is that 25 percent said they just weren’t sure.

It’s likely that those figures make some people want to share passwords with others. In fact, the survey showed 26 percent of Americans have used a password that came from someone outside of their household. When you break it down, 47 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 admitted to doing just that. That number falls to 26 percent among those between the ages of 30 and 49, and stands at 15 percent each for those who fall into the 50-64 and 65-and-older ranges.

Despite the constant increases in cost, people across all income levels have turned to streaming: 91 percent of those in upper income brackets use streaming services, as do 85 percent of those in middle income brackets and 77 percent of those in lower income brackets.

Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are the heavyweights among streaming platforms. The survey shows 72 percent of adults who stream watch programming on Netflix, with 67 percent watching Amazon. Hulu (which is being transformed) is next at 52 percent. The number using ESPN+ stands at 21 percent. While that’s lower than the other major services, the survey found that adults in all age groups are equally likely to watch ESPN+.

All of the challenges aside, 65 percent of Americans say they are extremely or very likely to use streaming services in the next year.

And why not? Technology has opened doors for us that few would have imagined just 20 or 30 years ago, as the ability to stream programming means we no longer must be tied to a television, though that option is still there.

If you’re out to dinner and you can’t see a television from your seat? No problem — you’re able to watch the Pirates and Penguins on your phone. If you’re waiting in a doctor’s office and want to get caught up on “MobLand,” “Your Friends & Neighbors” or “Shrinking,” just open up your tablet and enjoy.

Unless, of course, you are among the 10 percent of Americans who say they don’t use streaming services — and, in that case, enjoy reading the newspaper or a magazine.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)