Aspirations for later life
About the study
This research presents new survey findings on people's aspirations for later life in Great Britain. The survey showed that the majority of respondents had either not thought at all about what they might do when aged 60 onwards or had some ideas but had not really given it that much thought. While attitudes changed with age, even among those aged 50 to 59 i.e. those approaching the age of 60, only around half had hopes or ambitions for what they might do. Life post-60 is shown to be viewed primarily as an opportunity to pursue leisure activities and hobbies, with travel and reading among the most popular sorts of activities people are aspiring to do.
Potential policy impact
The 'ageing population' is resulting in greater policy focus on the
provision of services for older people, on pensions and on
maintaining engagement and activity in those aged 60 or more These
fndings have significant implciations for these types of
policies.
Methods
These questions were asked as part of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) Omnibus. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with a random probability sample of 1,867 adults aged 16 years and over. The sample of respondents aged 45 to 65 years was boosted to allow more detailed analysis of their answers. Later life was defined as when aged 60 or more; people already in this age band were asked about their aspirations for the future.
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Of interest:
- ScotCen Social Research
- 73 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9AW
- Charity no. SC038454
- info@scotcen.org.uk
