Trade Talk: The young, not old worry most about aging, USA Today poll shows | Articles

Younger people worry far more than older people about aging and death, a USA Today poll shows. Furthermore, young people also believe the elderly are treated worse than the rest of the population and get less respect.

These attitudes represent part of the findings from a recent USA Today poll on aging. The results were published in a May, 1987, edition of the newspaper and involved a survey of 799 adults across the U.S. The poll was part of a monthly series, Our Pulse of the USA, which ran till the paper's fifth birthday on Sept. 15, 1987.

Telephone survey

The survey was conducted by telephone through the Gordon S. Black Corp., Washington, D.C. The poll involved a national cross section and probability sample of Americans with an oversample of elderly. Elderly were considered to be anyone 55 years of age or older. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

According to Tony Casale, vice president and general manager of the media and public opinion division of the company, research was conducted over a week's period with each interview lasting approximately 23 minutes. At the end of the interview, the respondents were asked if a USA Today reporter could visit them for a more in-depth interview on the aging subject. To prevent any bias from coloring the story, the reporter was not allowed to see the respondents' answers from the telephone interview. After the in-depth interview with the reporter, the participants were photographed. Some of these photographs and quotes appeared as part of the special series. The results of the survey were used solely for editorial purposes for USA Today.

USA Today's poll found that more than twice as many, 55%, in the 18-24 age group worry about death than those 65 and older, 24%. Youngest adults and baby boomers, ages 25-40, worry more about death of a spouse, too.

Among those 65 and older, 61% like the age they are. Thirty-six percent say "These are the best years" or "The best is yet to come."

Only 5% in the 18-24 age group say the elderly are treated better than the rest of the population. But among those 65 years old and older, 71% feel they're treated the same or better.

About two-thirds of those 18-40 say older people get less respect than 10 years ago. However, fewer than half of those 65 and older think so.

Longing long life

The USA Today poll found that most of us do want a long life. When asked how long, those who specified gave an average age of 83. Today's average life expectancy is 74.7. Most of the rest want to live as long as they're mentally, physically or financially capable to care for themselves.

One concern among all of the respondents about aging is becoming too ill or disabled to take care of oneself. Of those polled, 83% worry at least some and 51% worry "a lot."

Money is a big worry too. Eighty-four percent of those 25-40 worry about having enough money to live comfortably in retirement; 81% don't count on Social Security. Less than half of those over 60, however, say they worry about being able to afford a comfortable retirement.

Generally, most of the respondents expect today and tomorrow to be better than yesterday. Half expect to live to 80 or beyond.

Improved lives

Here are other findings on the aging study:

Two-thirds, 65%, say they expect their lives to improve in the next 10 years. Among those 65 and up, 61% expect to live to stay the same and 13 % think it'll improve.
The older we get, the more we push back the age we expect to quit working. Those 18-24 think they'll retire at 58 while those over 65 who still work don't expect to retire, on average, until age 73.

Some don't plan to retire. Of the 36% overall who aren't saving or investing for retirement, many simply don't plan to quit work.

Most of us are trying to exercise more (63%), eat healthier (57%), and control stress better (55%). Fifty-nine percent have added fiber to their diet.

Losing one's health is a big concern. When asked what they'd do if they could no longer take care of themselves, 22% of the respondents say "Die" and 32% say "Move into a nursing home."

The discrepancy in attitudes about aging was summed up by one respondent, 78-year-old Robert Sears, a psychology professor emeritus at Stanford University.

"In the 18-24 age range, people are still trying to find themselves. They are insecure about their future because they haven't had much experience with the future yet."

By contrast, those over 65 "have lived their lives, they've got their resources, they're on their pensions .. .and they're organized and adjusted. There's somewhat more emotional acceptance of where they stand."