50+ in Europe Summary of initial results

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Conrad Johnston
6 years ago
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3 The ratio of older people to total population is higher in Europe than on any other continent and the phenomenon of population aging will continue well into this century. 50+ in Europe is the first study to examine the different ways in which people aged 50 and older live in eleven European countries from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. The study, which surveyed more than 25,000 people, focused in particular on issues such as family settings and relationships, work, pension, financial security and health. The results provide useful pointers for future policy. Some of the initial survey results are presented in the following: 100% 80% Close family ties, particularly in the south 60% 40% The family plays an important role in the lives of older people throughout Europe. However, the study shows that significant differences exist in this respect between southern and northern Europe. In Denmark, for example, only 13 per cent of respondents live with their offspring. The corresponding figure for Spain is 52 per cent, and more than 80 per cent of people live in the direct vicinity of their children (see graph). A similar contrast is apparent in terms of the amount of contact parents have with their children: while 42 per cent of Danes see their parents every day, the corresponding figure for respondents in the Mediterranean countries nudges 86 per cent. 20% 0% S DK D NL F CH A I ES GR < 1 km 1-25 km > 25 km Graph: Distance to nearest child Children move further away from their parents in Scandinavia than they do in the Mediterranean countries. 4 5 share_new_en.indd :06:34 Uhr

Helping hands support within the family Mutual support within families is an important resource for families throughout Europe, and in Southern Europe in particular.

4 Helping hands support within the family Mutual support within families is an important resource for families throughout Europe, and in Southern Europe in particular. Grandparents provide a great deal of help caring for children, for example (see graph). A third of respondents aged 65 and over reported providing daily help or child care on average 4.6 hours a day. An important role is also played by mutual financial support. The data from the 50+ in Europe survey show that in northern Europe financial help is provided by parents and in southern Europe, in contrast, by the younger generation. 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% S DK D NL F CH A I ES GR Graph: Proportion of grandmothers who have cared for their grandchildren within the last twelve months Caring grandmothers are heavily involved in child raising throughout Europe 6 7 share_new_en.indd :06:36 Uhr

People who enjoy their work retire later in life The age of retirement varies widely throughout Europe (see graph). Health appears to be less important in this respect than is generally assumed.

5 People who enjoy their work retire later in life The age of retirement varies widely throughout Europe (see graph). Health appears to be less important in this respect than is generally assumed. More important are the differences in national pension and social security systems. Employers and employees take particular advantage of early retirement in countries, such as Austria or France, where economic incentives to exit the labour force are present. The 50+ in Europe results also demonstrate how important job satisfaction is. Contented employees work longer. Individual responsibility and professional recognition also predispose people to postpone their retirement for longer. Poor working conditions, on the other hand, are frequently associated with health problems and early retirement. 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% S DK D NL F CH A I E GR Graph: Working population: year-olds Large differences in retirement ages 8 9 share_new_en.indd :06:37 Uhr

6 Relatively low levels of private pension provision in Europe Almost all senior citizens in Europe draw a public pension. More than half supplement this pension from additional sources of income in old age. In countries such as Sweden or the Netherlands, almost two thirds of retirees have an additional occupational pension. However, in most countries occupational pensions account for a much smaller share of income than do public pensions. Even less provision is made privately via, for example, life insurance policies. Sweden ranks highest in this respect with almost 20 per cent of all the country s pensioners in receipt of such benefits. The European average, in contrast, is 10 per cent. Pension benefits are lowest among the low-skilled particularly if people in this group take early retirement % 9-14 % 2-7 % Voluntary work Senior citizens participate in a great deal of voluntary work in Europe: in total around ten per cent of European over-50s undertake unpaid voluntary work. A significantly larger proportion of older people are involved in voluntary work in northern Europe than in southern Europe (see graph): more than 20 per cent in the Netherlands and less than four per cent in Spain and Greece. Two thirds of respondents said that the reason for undertaking voluntary work was to do something useful in retirement. However, people s health is an important factor in this context, and senior citizens who are in poor health are less likely to engage in voluntary work than people of the same age who feel fit and healthy. Graph: Voluntary work in Europe Voluntary work is more common in northern than in southern Europe share_new_en.indd :06:38 Uhr

7 The family as protection against poverty in old age Poverty in old age continues to be a serious problem in some European countries. Senior citizens in southern Europe generally have to get by with lower incomes than older people in northern Europe (see graph). However, the picture is rosier if home ownership is also taken into account. The 50+ in Europe study also reveals that, in many cases, financial hardship is mitigated by family proximity. Living with children not only in the same household, but also in separate flats in the same house also provides important protection against poverty. This proximity is frequent not only in Southern Europe, but also in Germany and Austria S DK D NL F CH A I ES GR Graph: Average annual income in euros The north-south divide in the economic situation of senior citizens share_new_en.indd :06:40 Uhr

8 Less consumption in the north Consumption inequality in Europe is less pronounced than financial inequality. The 50+ in Europe data nonetheless reveals a distinct and unexpected consumption divide. Expenditures on food in northern countries such as Sweden and Denmark, for example, are considerably lower than in the rest of Europe. This is surprising bearing in mind that incomes are higher in northern than in southern Europe. The observed differences are to some extent explained by food prices. Owing to the high prices in the north, poorer pensioners stick to the basic necessities when it comes to food. 60% 50% Southern Europe: Greater longevity, despite illness 40% 30% Northern Europeans are healthier and richer, but people in southern Europe live longer. The Danes, followed by the Swedes and Swiss, are the most satisfied with their health (see graph). 40 per cent believe that they are not in the very best of health; ten per cent even regard themselves as in poor or very bad health. Health problems are closely related to age throughout Europe. Disorders such as cataracts are experienced five times more often by the over-80s than by people in the age group. Women suffer from most complaints significantly more frequently than men. However, it is the stronger sex which mainly suffers from potentially life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes or heart and lung diseases. Experts believe that one of the reasons for the greater health threats faced by men is their tendency to adopt riskier lifestyles, ie smoking more and drinking more alcohol 20% 10% 0% S DK D NL F CH A I ES GR Graph: Percentage of the population in very good or excellent health Satisfaction with one s own health varies markedly throughout Europe share_new_en.indd :06:40 Uhr

9 Education is good for your health What happens next? Not smoking, drinking moderate amounts of wine and beer, regular physical exercise and avoiding putting on too much weight all have a positive impact on health and lead to a longer life. Men s and women s health and lifestyles are strongly influenced by income and education in all European countries. Respondents with lower levels of formal education engage in much less physical exercise and suffer more often from obesity than do people of the same age with higher levels of formal education. In all countries men are significantly more often overweight than women. Good professional training keeps you mentally fit The 50+ in Europe study is not yet completed in fact, it has just begun. Over the last twelve months the project has been presented to researchers and members of the EU Commission in the context of a series of press conferences held in Brussels and other cities. The enormous and remarkably positive response which it has elicited so far shows that the study addresses issues, including aging in general, which are of great and growing interest. As the European aging process is set to accelerate substantially from 2010 onwards, we intend to extend the coverage of the study to include more European countries and pursue our investigations at approximately two-year intervals. We hope that you will continue to be interested in the 50+ in Europe study. It is not only physical fitness which diminishes with increasing age, mental fitness too such as people s memory also starts to go downhill as people get older, in whatever country they live in. The reasons for this include the impact of dementing illnesses such as Alzheimer s disease. Mental fitness is not simply inherited, however, but also depends on influences during childhood and professional training. Striking differences are apparent between countries. Respondents in Mediterranean countries, for example, appear to experience a more dramatic mental decline with increasing age. This may be due to the fact that the professional training situation in these countries is not as good as in northern countries share_new_en.indd :06:41 Uhr

10 Published by Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA) L 13, Mannheim Phone: Fax: Design/ Layout by Jennifer Kröger, Johannes Bayer Printed by BB Druck+Service GmbH Danziger Platz Ludwigshafen Internet: Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging, 2006 share_new_en.indd :06:41 Uhr

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What happens next? Contact. Website:

What happens next? Contact. Website: www.share-project.org 50+ in Europe - Summary of initial results What happens next? The immediate next step for 50+ in Europe is to add people s life histories to the existing SHARE database. Connecting