Boomers at Midlife. The AARP Life Stage Study. Wave 2

Boomers at Midlife 2003 The AARP Life Stage Study Wave 2

Boomers at Midlife: The AARP Life Stage Study Wave 2, 2003 Carol Keegan, Ph.D. Project Manager, Knowledge Management, AARP 202-434-6286 Sonya Gross Research Analyst, Knowledge Management, AARP 202-434-3556 Linda Fisher, Ph.D. Research Director, Knowledge Management, AARP 202-434-6304 Shereen Remez, Ph.D. Director of Knowledge Management, AARP 202-434-2426 2003 AARP. All rights reserved. Reprinting with permission only. 601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049 www.aarp.org

Boomers at Midlife: The AARP Life Stage Study Wave 2, 2003 Contents 2 List of Tables 1 5 I. Introduction 7 II. Executive Summary 16 III. Detailed Findings 16 A. Assessment of Current Life Status 27 B. Demographic Differences in Assessment of Current Life Status among Boomers 41 C. Near-term Life Goals 47 D. Demographic Differences in Near-term Life Goals among Boomers 54 E. Anticipated Problems/Barriers 59 F. Demographic Differences in Anticipated Problems/Barriers among Boomers 69 G. Planning the Future 74 H. Demographic Differences in Planning the Future among Boomers 82 I. Ethnic and Racial Comparisons among Boomers 82 J. Assessment of Life Status among White, African American and Hispanic Boomers 86 K. Near-term Life Goals for White, African American and Hispanic Boomers 92 L. Anticipated Problems/Barriers for White, African American and Hispanic Boomers 95 M. Planning the Future for White, African American and Hispanic Boomers Appendix A: Methodological Report for National Survey To view Appendix A, go to http://research.aarp.org/general/boomers_midlife.html Appendix B: Annotated Questionnaire To view Appendix B, go to http://research.aarp.org/general/boomers_midlife.html

Tables 2 A. Assessment of Current Life Status 16 Table 1: Overall Life Satisfaction by Generation 17 Table 2: Satisfaction with Country by Generation 17 Table 3: Time Spent Thinking about the War by Generation 17 Table 4: Effect of War on Mood by Generation 18 Table 5: Boomers Satisfaction with Life Areas 19 Table 6: Satisfaction with Life Areas by Generation 20 Table 7: Boomers Most Important Life Area 21 Table 8: Most Important Life Area by Generation 22 Table 9: Boomers Expectations of Life Areas 23 Table 10: Expectations of Life Areas by Generation 24 Table 11: Expectations of Life Areas by Generation 25 Table 12: Life s Highs by Generation 26 Table 13: Life s Lows by Generation B. Demographic Differences in Assessment of Current Life Status among Boomers 27 Table 14: Overall Life Satisfaction by Age 28 Table 15: Boomers Satisfaction with Life Areas by Age 29 Table 16: Life s Highs by Age 30 Table 17: Satisfaction with Country by Age 30 Table 18: Boomers Overall Life Satisfaction by Gender 31 Table 19: Boomers Satisfaction with Major Life Areas by Gender 31 Table 20: Boomers Country Satisfaction by Gender 33 Table 21: Life s Highs and Lows for Boomers by Gender 34 Table 22: Boomers Overall Life Satisfaction by Income 35 Table 23: Boomers Satisfaction with Life Areas by Income 36 Table 24: Expectations of Life Areas by Income 37 Table 25: Life s Highs for Boomers by Income 38 Table 26: Life s Lows for Boomers by Income 39 Table 27: Boomer s Overall Life Satisfaction by Education 40 Table 28: Boomers Satisfaction with Life Areas by Education C. Near-term Life Goals 41 Table 29: General Hopes for the Future by Generation 42 Table 30: Boomers Current Status and Hopes for Life Areas 43 Table 31: Major Life Area Boomers Would Most Like to Change 44 Table 32: Boomers and Older Americans Current Status and Hopes for Life Areas 46 Table 33: Boomers and Younger Americans Current Status and Hopes for Life Areas 46 Figure 1: Current Status and Hopes for Future by Generation 47 Table 34: Major Ambition by Generation

D. Demographic Differences in Near-term Life Goals among Boomers 48 Table 35: Boomers General Hopes for the Future by Age 49 Table 36: Boomers Hopes for Life Areas by Age 50 Table 37: Boomers Major Ambition by Age 50 Table 38: Boomers General Hopes for the Future by Gender 51 Table 39: Boomers Major Ambition by Gender 52 Table 40: Boomers General Hopes for the Future by Income 53 Table 41: Boomers Current Status and Financial Hopes by Income 53 Table 42: Boomers General Hopes for the Future by Education 54 Table 43: Boomers Current Status and Financial and Health-Related Hopes by Education 55 Table 44: Boomers Likelihood of Reaching Goals 56 Table 45: Likelihood of Reaching Goals by Generation 58 Table 46: Control over Major Life Areas by Generation 59 Table 47: Major Barriers by Generation F. Demographic Differences in Anticipated Problems/Barriers among Boomers 60 Table 48: Control over Life Areas by Age 61 Table 49: Boomers Likelihood of Reaching Life Area Goals by Gender 62 Table 50: Boomers Control over Life Areas by Gender 63 Table 51: Boomers Likelihood of Reaching Life Area Goals by Income 64 Table 52: Boomers Control over Life Areas by Income 66 Table 53: Major Barriers by Income 67 Table 54: Control over Major Life Areas by Education 68 Table 55: Major Barriers by Education G. Planning the Future 69 Table 56: Thinking about the General Future by Generation 70 Table 57: Thinking about Life Areas by Generation 71 Table 58: Planning for the Future by Generation 72 Table 59: Control over the Future by Generation 73 Table 60: Describing the Next Five Years by Generation 74 Table 61: Thinking about the General Future by Age 75 Table 62: Thinking about Life Areas by Age 76 Table 63: Attitudes toward Planning for the Future by Age 77 Table 64: Control over the Future by Generation 77 Table 65: Boomers Thinking about Life Areas by Gender 78 Table 66: Boomers Thinking about Life Areas by Income 79 Table 67: Attitudes about the Planning for the Future by Income 80 Table 68: Boomers Thinking about Life Areas by Education 81 Table 69: Attitudes toward Planning for the Future by Education 3

Tables, cont d. I. Ethnic and Racial Comparisons among Boomers J. Assessment of Life Status among White, African American and Hispanic Boomers 82 Table 70: Boomers Overall Life Satisfaction with Life by Race/Ethnicity 83 Table 71: Boomers Satisfaction with Country by Race/Ethnicity 84 Table 72: Boomers Satisfaction with Major Life Areas by Race/Ethnicity 85 Table 73: Boomers Most Important Life Area by Race/Ethnicity 4 K. Near-term Life Goals for White, African American and Hispanic Boomers 87 Table 74: Boomers Expectations for Major Life Areas by Race/Ethnicity 88 Table 75: Boomers Expectations of Major Life Areas by Race/Ethnicity 89 Table 76: Boomers Current Status and Hopes for Future By Race/Ethnicity 90 Table 77: Boomers Current Status and Hopes for Future by Race/Ethnicity L. Anticipated Problems and Barriers for White, African American and Hispanic Boomers 93 Table 78: Boomers Likelihood of Reaching Goals by Race/Ethnicity 94 Table 79: Major Barriers for Boomers by Race/Ethnicity M. Planning the Future for White, African American and Hispanic Boomers 95 Table 80: Boomers Thoughts about Life Areas by Race/Ethnicity 96 Table 81: Boomers Attitudes toward the Future and Control over the Future by Race/Ethnicity

I. Introduction This survey is the second wave of a major annual survey of boomers conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) at the behest of AARP. As boomers age into eligibility for AARP membership, the Association is increasingly involved in enhancing its understanding of the needs, interests and concerns of this generation. These regular surveys are designed to give boomers a platform for reporting how they are faring in various aspects of their lives and will allow AARP to respond to the unique dreams, desires and fears of the boomer generation as it ages. In particular, this survey is designed to address the following research questions: 1. Assessments of Current Life Status: Overall, how satisfied are boomers with their lives? How do they assess their lives in seven major areas: relationship with family and friends; mental health; religious or spiritual life; work or career; physical health; personal finances and leisure activities? In which areas of their lives do they report that they are doing better than they expected, worse than they expected, and about as well as they expected? What do they believe are the best and worst aspects of their lives today? What major life events have they experienced? 2. Near-term Life Goals: Where do boomers want their lives to lead over the next five years? In what aspects of their lives do they want to see the most change? What do they describe as their major ambitions at this time in their life? In what aspects of their lives do boomers report the widest gaps between where they currently see themselves and where they would like to be? 3. Anticipated Problems/Barriers: What do boomers believe is the likelihood of bringing their hopes for various life areas to fruition? What constraints or uncertainties do they believe are most likely to keep them from reaching their goals? In which areas do they anticipate the greatest declines and improvements as they age? 4. Outlook on Planning for the Future: How do boomers feel about planning their futures in various life areas? Are some boomers planning more than others? What aspects of their near-term goals do boomers believe they will be able to influence or shape to their advantage? In which areas do boomers feel they have the most control and the least control? 5. Comparisons of Boomers to Younger and Older Generations: To what extent, and in what ways, are the near-term life circumstances, goals, and concerns of boomers similar to or different from those of other age cohorts? Compared to other age groups, are boomers more or less optimistic about their near-term future? Do they anticipate similar or different barriers to reaching their goals? 6. Comparisons by Race/Ethnicity: Within the boomer generation, to what extent do life circumstances, levels of satisfaction and near-term priorities vary by race or ethnic group? Are African 5

American and Hispanic boomers more or less optimistic about their near-term futures? Do they report similar or different constraints and uncertainties in their ability to achieve near-term dreams and ambitions? 6 Following this introduction is an executive summary of the survey s key findings and then a more detailed report. The detailed report is organized into five main sections. The first four sections are: An Assessment of Current Life Status, Near-term Life Goals, Anticipated Problems and Barriers, and Planning the Future. In each of these sections we first describe the nationwide survey findings for boomers. We then compare boomers to older and younger adults. Each section ends with an even closer look at boomers, comparing them across several demographic traits age, gender, income and education. The final section is Ethnic and Racial Comparisons among Boomers. To achieve a complete picture of boomers at midlife, oversamples of African American and Hispanic boomers were collected. In this last section we compare the survey results for white, African American and Hispanic boomers. Finally, Appendix A is a detailed methodology of the nationwide survey and Appendix B is the annotated questionnaire.

II. Executive Summary In 2002, AARP commissioned Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) to explore what the baby boomers one of the largest and most path-breaking generations in American history had to say about their lives, their hopes and their expectations for the future. This 25-minute telephone survey was the first step of an effort to learn how Americans born between 1946 and 1964 see themselves at the midpoint of their lives. In Spring 2003, AARP and PSRAI conducted a second survey to track how boomers are feeling a year later. The 2003 survey largely replicated the 2002 survey. We conducted a 25-minute telephone survey re-examining the seven broad life areas that were addressed in 2002: relationships with family and friends, personal finances, religious or spiritual life, work or career, physical health, mental health and leisure activities. Again, we asked boomers to tell us how well they are doing in each of these areas; where they hope to be five years from now; how likely they are to achieve their goals; and what the barriers are to achieving these goals. In this report we present the findings of the 2003 survey, comparing them to the results of the 2002 survey where appropriate. 1 We start with a short set of key findings. Key Findings Despite the war in Iraq and a faltering economy, boomers continue to be satisfied with the way things are going in their personal lives and are generally upbeat about their future. As they think about the future, boomers are looking to achieve balance in their lives by improving the areas in which they are least satisfied. Yet, ironically, boomers are least confident that they will succeed in making gains in those areas they most want to improve. Boomers, like younger and older Americans, are satisfied with their lives overall. But many boomers are only somewhat satisfied with some key life areas. In particular, a majority of boomers say they are at best somewhat satisfied with their personal finances, work or career, physical health and leisure activities. As in 2002, boomers are most satisfied with their personal relationships and their mental health. Boomers continue to believe that their lives will be even better five years from now, saying that they want to make improvements in all seven specific life areas we addressed in the survey. We asked boomers to rate their current situation, as well as the situation they can realistically hope to be in five years from now. As we reported in 2002, boomers want to make the most progress in the areas where they feel most behind personal finances and leisure activities. Boomers expect less improvement in the areas they are most satisfied personal relationships and mental health. Boomers say they think more about some life areas than others. Family and friends and personal finances top the list of most thought about life areas, while leisure activities and mental health are the 7 1 The goal of this research is to track substantive changes over time, not minor, episodic changes. Therefore, we only report year-to-year changes that are statistically significant at the.01 level or greater.

8 least thought about. By and large, boomers believe that they can shape their future and that what happens in the future mostly depends on them. Consistent with this view, boomers believe that if they really want to do something, they will find a way to achieve it. Overview of Life Areas Relationships with family and friends continue to be one of two life areas most satisfying to boomers. Nearly two thirds of boomers (64%) say they are very satisfied with their relationships with family and friends. Likewise, many boomers continue to refer to their family and friends as the single most important (39%) and the very best (43%) aspect of their lives. Boomers also continue to be very satisfied with their mental health. The war in Iraq, which was ongoing during much of the survey period, did not dampen boomers mental outlook. Rather, a solid majority of boomers (65%) say the war had no effect on their mood. Boomers hope to make gains in their relationships with family and friends and their mental health over the next five years, but these hoped for gains are relatively modest, given the already high level of satisfaction with these areas of their lives. Although a majority of boomers express satisfaction with their mental health, only a third of boomers (32%) say they are very satisfied with their physical health. A third of boomers (33%) say their physical health is worse than they expected it to be at this point in their lives. These less than glowing findings are unchanged from last year. Many boomers would like to make improvements in their physical health, including two in 10 boomers (19%) who say it is the one life area they would most like to change. At the same time, only slightly more than half (55%) think they are very likely to achieve their goal of improved physical health. This may be a realistic assessment, as boomers who are less confident of meeting their goals are more likely to say they do not eat a balanced diet or exercise regularly. As in 2002, boomers say their personal finances and their work lives are among the least satisfying aspects of their lives. Less than four in 10 working boomers (37%) are very satisfied with their work or career, and even fewer boomers (21%) report being very satisfied with their personal finances. Moreover, a sizable minority of boomers say they have not met their expectations in their financial (32%) or their work (28%) lives. Not only have boomers failed to meet their expectations when it comes to their finances, about a quarter of boomers (23%) say their financial life is the worst thing in their lives right now. An additional 15 percent say work or career is the worst thing. Many boomers want to make major strides forward in their personal finances over the next five year. In fact, a third (35%) name personal finances as the one life area they would most like to change, although only slightly more than half (54%) think they are very likely to meet their expectations. Boomers strive to make somewhat more modest improvements in their work or career situation than in their personal finances. Boomers have as many concerns about the way they spend their free time as they

do about the way they spend their working hours. As in 2002, only three in 10 boomers (29%) say they are very satisfied with their leisure activities. This is also an area in which boomers hope to see considerable improvements over the next five years and there is considerable room for growth, since boomers evaluate this life area to be among the least satisfactory. Half of boomers (50%) report being very satisfied with their religious or spiritual life and most of the rest say they are somewhat satisfied. Religious or spiritual life is one of the top two most important life areas to boomers second only to friends and family. Most boomers report that they are doing better than expected in this area (27%) or are where they expected to be (54%). Even so, nearly two in 10 (17%) say they are doing worse than expected and many boomers hope to make solid gains in this area of their life in the next five years. SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AREAS BY GENERATION Overall, how satisfied are you with your? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not too satisfied or not at all satisfied? % who say very satisfied with... Younger Older Adults Boomers Adults Relations with family and friends 2003 59 64 75 2002 57 63 74 Mental health 2003 64 59 67 2002 61 61 63 Religious or spiritual life 2003 39 50 64 2002 34 47 60 Work or career* 2003 34 37 60 2002 34 39 50 Physical health 2003 33 32 35 2002 35 31 38 Leisure activities 2003 30 29 45 2002 33 29 47 2003 18 21 35 2002 19 20 35 9 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; Boomers (38 56) N=2127; Older Adults (57+) N=758 *Asked only of those employed either full or part-time. 2003: Younger Adults N=555; Boomers N=1485; Older Adults N=197 2002: Younger Adults N=572; Boomers N=1646; Older Adults N=202

10 Comparing Boomers to Younger and Older Americans As in 2002, a notable generation gap exists between boomers and older Americans. In many ways, boomers are more similar to younger Americans than to older Americans. Consistent with the 2002 survey results, all three generations express satisfaction in the way their lives are unfolding as a whole, but older Americans are the most satisfied in each of the life areas except for physical health where all three generations are equally satisfied. By contrast, boomers and younger Americans report similar levels of satisfaction except in the area of religious or spiritual life. Boomers are more likely to say they are very satisfied with their religious or spiritual life than younger adults. As a general pattern, boomers and younger Americans have a tendency to be more family-oriented than older Americans. When asked to name the most important thing in their lives, boomers (39%) and younger Americans (44%) are more likely to mention their personal relations than the older generation (27%). Furthermore, when asked to name the best thing in their lives, only two in 10 older adults (21%) say relationships with family and friends are the best thing, compared to twice as many boomers (43%) and an even larger portion of younger adults (49%). These same generational differences were observed in 2002. MOST IMPORTANT LIFE AREA BY GENERATION Which one of these areas is most important to you? Not Too/ Very Somewhat Not At All Satisfied Satisfied Satisfied Relations with family and friends 2003 44 39 27 2002 48 44 26 Religious or spiritual life 2003 19 25 26 2002 19 22 29 Physical health 2003 13 18 30 2002 12 19 30 2003 11 9 4 2002 9 6 4 Mental health 2003 5 4 3 2002 5 3 3 Work or career* 2003 5 3 1 2002 4 2 1 Leisure activities 2003 1 * 2 2002 2 1 2 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; Boomers (38 56) N=2127; Older Adults (57+) N=758 *Asked only of those employed either full or part-time. 2003: Younger Adults N=555; Boomers N=1485; Older Adults N=197 2002: Younger Adults N=572; Boomers N=1646; Older Adults N=202

As in 2002, boomers and younger Americans also contemplate their finances more than older adults. Boomers (32%) are more likely than older Americans (22%) to say they are worse off than they expected in their financial life. Boomers (23%) and younger adults (29%) are also considerably more likely than older Americans (10%) to see their finances as the worst aspect in their lives. Physical health is a bigger issue for the older generation than for the two younger groups. Although the three generations do not differ in their satisfaction levels, older Americans (30%) are more likely than boomers (18%) or younger Americans (13%) to talk about their physical health when asked to name the most important thing in their lives. Moreover, two in 10 older people (20%) identify health as the worst thing about their lives, and an additional one in 10 (9%) mention aging. As in 2002, boomers and younger Americans talk about these concerns much less often. Following this same pattern and that found in 2002, boomers and younger adults share more similarities to each other than they do to older adults when it comes to meeting life expectations. As is the case with satisfaction levels, older Americans describe themselves as doing better than expected in more life areas than boomers or younger Americans. Other demographic comparisons show that boomers sometimes differ by age, gender, income, education and race and ethnicity in their life perspective. We observed the least differences between younger and older boomers and the greatest differences between white, African American and Hispanic boomers. Intra-Generational Differences Similar to 2002, we observed very few differences between younger boomers (ages 39 to 46) and older boomers (ages 47 to 57). Younger boomers (48%) are more likely than older boomers (38%) to say that their relationships with family and friends are the best thing in their lives right now. At the same time, younger boomers (29%) more often than older boomers (20%) refer to their financial situation as the worst thing, and perhaps for this reason are more likely to think about their finances a great deal (52% vs. 45%). Older boomers (12%) mention their health more often than younger boomers (6%). Younger boomers (80%) are more likely to say things will be better in five years than older boomers (67%). 11 As in 2002, attitudes toward the future are clearly related to age. Boomers (72%) and younger Americans (92%) are much more likely to believe that things in their lives will be better five years from now than older Americans (37%).

12 BOOMERS GENERAL HOPES FOR THE FUTURE BY AGE Five years from now, do you expect things in your life will be better, the same or worse than they are right now? Younger Younger Older Older Adults Boomers Boomers Adults Better 2003 92 80 67 37 2002 92 84 71 41 Same 2003 5 17 22 37 2002 7 11 22 34 Worse 2003 2 1 5 11 2002 1 3 4 17 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Younger Boomers (39 46) N=755; Older Boomers (47 57) N=1213; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; Younger Boomers (38 45) N=945; Older Boomers (46 56) N=1139; Older Adults (57+) N=758 Gender Differences As we found in 2002, male and female boomers differ little. Female boomers are more likely than male boomers to draw higher levels of satisfaction from their personal relationships (67% vs. 61%) and religious or spiritual life (54% vs. 46%). Female boomers are more likely to say they think about religion a great deal than male boomers (53% vs. 40%). On national matters, male boomers (63%) are more likely to express satisfaction over the way things are going in the country as a whole than female boomers (48%). When asked to name the best and worst things in their lives male and female boomers again offer very similar responses. However, females are more likely than males to refer to their family and friends as the best thing (46% vs. 39%) as well as the worst thing (12% vs. 6%) in their lives. Gender plays a limited role in influencing boomers view for the future. Male boomers are somewhat more likely to exhibit optimism about the future in general than female boomers (76% vs. 69%). At the same time, males are more likely to feel anxious than females (25% vs. 15%). Both genders, however, cite improved finances as a major goal they would like to accomplish in the next five years. Income Differences Income continues to play a moderate role in shaping boomers evaluation of the life areas and their views about the future. Consistent with the research findings from 2002, higher earning boomers (household income of $75,000 or more) tend to be more satisfied with their lives (93%) as a whole than lower income boomers (69%) those with a household income less than $25,000. The same is true for many of the specific life areas addressed relationships with family and friends, mental health, work or career and personal finances. Again consistent with 2002, lower income boomers cite finances as being the worst aspect of their lives (28%) more often than their higher earning counterparts (18%). Those in the lowest income bracket are also more likely to name physical or mental health concerns as the worst thing in their life

right now than higher income boomers. A quarter of boomers in the lowest income category (24%) say their health status is keeping them from achieving what they really want out of life, compared to only five percent of the top-earners. Boomers in the lowest income category hope to make considerably larger strides in their financial situation than those with the highest earnings. This was true in 2002 too. BOOMERS SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AREAS BY INCOME Overall, how satisfied are you with your? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not too satisfied or not at all satisfied? % who say very satisfied with... $25 $50 LT $25k LT $50k LT $75k $75k+ Relations with family and friends 2003 48 60 68 69 2002 49 60 63 69 Mental health 2003 46 56 59 63 2002 49 56 64 67 Religious or spiritual life 2003 51 47 52 50 2002 51 50 43 44 Work or career* 2003 28 38 39 37 2002 28 33 41 44 Physical health 2003 31 32 31 33 2002 26 34 27 35 Leisure activities 2003 24 25 32 29 2002 26 31 25 29 2003 9 15 20 33 2002 8 18 17 30 13 2003: Boomers (39 57) income LT $25k N=437; Boomers (39 57) income $25k LT $50k N=592; Boomers (39 57) income $50k LT $75k N=318; Boomers (39 57) income $75k+ N=412 2002: Boomers (39 57) income LT $25k N=409; Boomers (39 57) income $25k LT $50k N=634; Boomers (39 57) income $50k LT $75K N=354; Boomers (39 57) income $75k+ N=475 *Asked only of those employed either full or part-time. 2003: Boomers income LT $25k N=240; Boomers income $25k LT $50k N=459; Boomers income $50k LT $75k N=271; Boomers income $75k+ N=344 2002: Boomers income LT $25k N=225; Boomers income $25k LT $50k N=528; Boomers income $50k LT $75k N=305; Boomers income $75k+ N=411

14 Consistent with 2002, higher income boomers have a greater sense of control over their lives than lower earning boomers. Lower income boomers spend more time thinking about the future in most life areas than higher income boomers. At the same time, lower income boomers report engaging in fewer planning activities than boomers with higher incomes. Boomers in the bottom income category (60%) are much more likely to say that they would rather be spontaneous than plan their future in detail than boomers with the highest earnings (36%). When describing their future, the lowest earning boomers use negative adjectives such as stressful, anxious, uncertain and boring more often than the wealthiest boomers. Education Differences Education also continues to play a modest role in shaping boomer attitudes. Consistent with 2002 findings, boomers with a college degree (88%) are more likely to be satisfied with their lives in general than less-educated boomers (80%). Nevertheless, both groups look to the future with optimism and expect life to improve in the next five years. College graduates are somewhat more family-oriented than boomers without degrees. As we reported in 2002, boomers who have graduated from college (50%) more often refer to their personal relationships as the best thing in their lives than those without a college education (39%). While level of education has little influence on boomers perceived likelihood of achieving their goals, those with a college degree have a greater sense of control over a few important aspects of their life, namely religious or spiritual life, physical and mental health and leisure activities. College educated boomers (25%) are more likely to think that their own lack of motivation is the biggest barrier to achieving what they want out of life than those without a college degree (14%). On the other hand, boomers without a college degree are more likely to perceive their health as a major barrier (11% vs. 4%). These findings are consistent with those found in 2002. Race and Ethnicity Differences As was the case last year, race and ethnicity continue to play a notable role in shaping boomer attitudes toward their life and their future more so than age, gender, income or education. A large majority of white, African American and Hispanic boomers are satisfied with the way things are going in their lives, although somewhat fewer African Americans (75%) express satisfaction with the way things are going than white (84%) or Hispanic boomers (82%). As in 2002, a clear plurality of white boomers say relations with family and friends are the most important aspect of their life (43%), while African American boomers are most likely to say religious or spiritual life (42%) is the most important. Hispanic boomers, on the

other hand, are more equally divided between citing friends and family (34%) and physical health (25%) as the most important area. African American and Hispanic boomers are more likely than white boomers to say they are better off than they expected to be at this point in their lives when it comes to relations with friends and family, religious or spiritual life, physical health and mental health. In the area of personal finance, African Americans (41%) are more likely to say they are worse off than white (31%) or Hispanic boomers (25%). Consistent with 2002 findings, if boomers are able to make the improvements they hope for, five years from now African Americans will rate their status higher than either white or Hispanic boomers in each of the major life areas. BOOMERS ATTITUDES TOWARD THE FUTURE AND CONTROL OVER THE FUTURE BY RACE/ETHNICITY Please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with each statement. % who strongly agree... African White American Hispanic I plan a lot for my future. 2003 42 53 52 2002 36 54 47 When I really want to do something, I usually find a way to succeed at it. 2003 67 74 64 2002 63 75 70 What happens to me in the future mostly depends on me. 2003 67 77 67 2002 67 77 74 There is little I can do to change important things in my life. 2003 7 14 24 2002 7 19 22 2003: White boomers (39 57) N=630; African American boomers (39 57) N=703; Hispanic boomers (39 57) N=648 2002: White boomers (38 56) N=738; African American boomers (38 56) N=702; Hispanic boomers (38 56) N=643 15 Half of African American (53%) and Hispanic (52%) boomers report that they plan a lot for the future the same is true for somewhat fewer white boomers (42%). A majority of white, African American and Hispanic boomers feel in control of their future. Three-quarters of African American (77%) and two-thirds of white (67%) and Hispanic (67%) boomers strongly agree with the statement: What happens to me in the future mostly depends on me. On the flip side,

16 A. Assessment of Current Life Status A depressed economy and a volatile state of international affairs 2 have not dampened boomers overall level of satisfaction with their lives. Boomers continue to report that they are satisfied with their lives overall. Likewise, older and younger Americans remain satisfied with the way things are going in their lives. However, as was true in 2002, this general upbeat assessment does not hold for a few specific life areas. When it comes to their finances, work or career, physical health and leisure activities, many boomers continue to say they are worse off than they expected to be at this point in their lives. These findings are detailed in six sections: 1) Boomers evaluate their overall satisfaction with their lives and their country as a whole. 2) They rate their satisfaction in seven specific life areas relationship with family and friends, mental health, religious or spiritual life, work or career, physical health, leisure activities and personal finances. 3) Boomers report which aspects of their life are most important to them and 4) how their status in these areas fare in relation to how they expected to be doing at this point in their lives. Boomers also single out 5) the best and 6) the worst aspects of their lives. Throughout this chapter, and the entire report, we discuss boomers assessments of their lives within a generational context. In addition to surveying boomers, we also asked younger Americans (18 to 38) and older (57+) Americans the same questions. This yields a powerful intergenerational view of American society. The chapter concludes with an in-depth demographic examination of how boomers assess their current life status. OVERALL LIFE SATISFACTION BY GENERATION Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in your own life today? % who say satisfied with... Younger Older Adults Boomers Adults 2003 85 83 86 2002 86 83 88 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; Boomers (38 56) N=2127; Older Adults (57+) N=758 Boomers Overall Life Satisfaction Boomers, like older and younger Americans, are generally satisfied with the way things are going in their lives overall. Consistent with the 2002 survey findings, more than eight in 10 boomers (83%) report being satisfied with their lives overall. Older (86%) and younger (85%) adults report equally high levels of satisfaction. 2 The survey was conducted between April 3rd and June 8th 2003. Consequently, when the survey began the US was at war with Iraq, which started March 19, 2003. While President Bush declared on May 1, 2003 that the combat portion of the war was over, news of the war, reconstruction efforts and continued US casualties dominated news coverage throughout the entire survey period.

Boomers Satisfaction with Country In addition to expressing satisfaction with their personal lives, a slim majority of boomers also say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country as a whole. This relative contentment with the state of the country varies by generation, however. Following a pattern found in 2002, younger adults (62%) and boomers (55%) are considerably more likely to be satisfied with the state of the country than older adults (44%). TABLE 2: SATISFACTION WITH COUNTRY BY GENERATION Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today? % who say satisfied with... Younger Older Adults Boomers Adults 2003 62 55 44 2002 59 51 40 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; boomers (38 56) N=2127; Older Adults (57+) N=758 TABLE 3: TIME SPENT THINKING ABOUT THE WAR BY GENERATION During the past week, how much have you thought about the war in Iraq: a great deal, a fair amount, not too much or not at all? Younger Older Adults Boomers Adults A great deal 30 26 39 A fair amount 30 34 35 Not too much 29 29 16 Not at all 12 12 10 TABLE 4: EFFECT OF WAR ON MOOD BY GENERATION And has the war affected your mood in the past week? Has it made it much worse, a little worse, neither worse nor better, a little better or much better? Younger Older Adults Boomers Adults Much/a little worse 19 18 23 Neither better or worse 61 65 53 Much/a little better 17 15 18 2003: Younger Adults who thought about war (18 38) N=736; Boomers who thought about war (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults who thought about war (58+) N=748 The war in Iraq seems to have had little effect on the evaluation of day-to-day life among boomers. While six in 10 boomers said they had thought about the war a great deal (26%) or a fair amount (34%), an equally large majority (65%) said the war had little or no effect on their mood, and only 18 percent said that their mood had worsened because of the war. The older generation, on the other hand was more likely to have thought about the war a great deal than either the younger generation or boomers. Nearly four in 10 (39%) among the older generation reported thinking about the war a great deal while the same is true for only three in 10 younger adults (30%) and one quarter of boomers (26%). Nevertheless, the proportion of the older generation who reported a worsened mood (23%) due to the war is comparable to younger adults (19%) and boomers (18%). 17 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748

18 Boomers Satisfaction with Life Areas Some life areas tend to give boomers considerably more satisfaction than others. Consistent with the 2002 survey findings, there are only two life areas in which majorities of boomers are very satisfied relationships with family and friends (64%) and mental health (59%). Additionally, half of boomers (50%) say they are very satisfied with their religious or spiritual life. Other aspects of boomers lives continue to elicit less satisfaction, although in all life areas, majorities say they are either somewhat or very satisfied. Less than four in 10 boomers are very satisfied with work or career (37%), and only a third or fewer say they are very satisfied with their physical health (32%), leisure activities (29%) or personal finances (21%). A quarter of boomers (26%) say they are not too or not at all satisfied with their personal financial situation. Roughly two in 10 boomers express similarly low levels of satisfaction in their leisure activities (19%) and physical health (18%). TABLE 5: BOOMERS SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AREAS Overall, how satisfied are you with your? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not too satisfied or not at all satisfied? Not Too/ Very Somewhat Not At All Satisfied Satisfied Satisfied Relations with family and friends 2003 64 30 5 2002 63 33 4 Mental health 2003 59 34 7 2002 61 33 6 Religious or spiritual life 2003 50 41 7 2002 47 43 8 Work or career* 2003 37 51 12 2002 39 48 12 Physical health 2003 32 49 18 2002 31 52 17 Leisure activities 2003 29 51 19 2002 29 52 17 2003 21 53 26 2002 20 54 25 2003: Boomers (39 57) N=2016 2002: Boomers (38 56) N=2127 *Asked only of those employed either full- or part-time. 2003: N=1485; 2002: N=1646

Satisfaction with Life Areas by Generation An examination of satisfaction levels across generations shows that boomers differ more from older Americans than from younger Americans. As was found in 2002, older adults are markedly more likely than boomers to be very satisfied in six of the seven life areas. In five of these areas, the satisfaction gap between older adults and boomers is 10 percentage points or more, with older Americans being much more satisfied than boomers with their personal relationships with family and friends, religious or spiritual life, work or career, leisure activities and personal finances. Older Americans (67%) also report a somewhat higher level of satisfaction with their mental health than boomers (59%). 3 Physical health is the one life area boomers (32%) and older Americans (35%) are equally likely to say they are very satisfied. Boomers and younger adults are much more similar in their satisfaction levels with these major life areas. Religious or spiritual life is the only life aspect that generates higher satisfaction levels among boomers (50%) than among younger Americans (39%). In the other life areas, boomers and younger adults report similar levels of satisfaction. Following the pattern established in 2002, relations with family and friends and mental health are the only two life areas in which solid majorities of all three generations report being very satisfied. On the flipside, less than half in all three generations report being very satisfied with their personal finances, leisure activities and physical health. TABLE 6: SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AREAS BY GENERATION Overall, how satisfied are you with your? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not too satisfied or not at all satisfied? % who say very satisfied with... Younger Older Adults Boomers Adults Relations with family and friends 2003 59 64 75 2002 57 63 74 Mental health 2003 64 59 67 2002 61 61 63 Religious or spiritual life 2003 39 50 64 2002 34 47 60 Work or career* 2003 34 37 60 2002 34 39 50 Physical health 2003 33 32 35 2002 35 31 38 Leisure activities 2003 30 29 45 2002 33 29 47 2003 18 21 35 2002 19 20 35 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; Boomers (38 56) N=2127; Older Adults (57+) N=758 *Asked only of those employed either full- or part-time. 2003: Younger Adults N=555; Boomers N=1485; Older Adults N=197 2002: Younger Adults N=572; Boomers N=1646; Older Adults N=202 19 3 This is a small increase in the difference reported in 2002 when 63% of older Americans and 61% of boomers were satisfied with their mental health.

20 Boomers Most Important Life Area When asked which of the life areas is most important to boomers, relationships with family and friends continue to top the list. A plurality of four in 10 boomers (39%) say family and friends is the most important of these seven life areas, followed by religious or spiritual life (25%) and physical health (18%). A very similar pattern emerges when boomers are asked to name the area that is second most important. Relationships with family and friends again top the list (36%), followed by physical health (18%), religious or spiritual life (14%) and personal financial situation (13%). Of these life areas, personal finances, and to a lesser extent physical health, are two areas in which boomers are the least satisfied. TABLE 7: BOOMERS MOST IMPORTANT LIFE AREA Which one of these areas is most [second most] important to you? Most Second Most Important Area Important Area Relations with family and friends 2003 39 36 2002 44 33 Religious or spiritual life 2003 25 14 2002 22 15 Physical health 2003 18 18 2002 19 18 2003 9 13 2002 6 16 Mental health 2003 4 6 2002 3 6 Work or career* 2003 3 8 2002 2 10 Leisure activities 2003 * 3 2002 1 3 2003: Boomers (39 57) N=2016 2002: Boomers (38 56) N=2127 *Asked only of those employed either full or part-time. 2003: Boomers N=1485; 2002: Boomers N=1646

Most Important Life Area by Generation Boomers share more similarities with younger Americans than older Americans in their assessment of the importance of life areas. This pattern is consistent with the 2002 survey findings. Clear pluralities of boomers (39%) and younger Americans (44%) name relationships with family and friends as the most important life area, followed by religious or spiritual life (25% vs. 19%) and physical health (18% vs. 13%). By contrast, older Americans give a top ranking to physical health (30%) and nearly as many mention religious or spiritual life (26%) as relations with family and friends (27%) as most important. Younger adults (44%) mention family and friends considerably more often than older adults (27%) and at roughly the same high level as boomers (39%). TABLE 8: MOST IMPORTANT LIFE AREA BY GENERATION Which one of these areas is most important to you? Not Too/ Very Somewhat Not At All Satisfied Satisfied Satisfied Relations with family and friends 2003 44 39 27 2002 48 44 26 Religious or spiritual life 2003 19 25 26 2002 19 22 29 Physical health 2003 13 18 30 2002 12 19 30 2003 11 9 4 2002 9 6 4 Mental health 2003 5 4 3 2002 5 3 3 Work or career* 2003 5 3 1 2002 4 2 1 Leisure activities 2003 1 * 2 2002 2 1 2 21 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; Boomers (38 56) N=2127; Older Adults (57+) N=758 *Asked only of those employed either full or part-time. 2003: Younger Adults N=555; Boomers N=1485; Older Adults N=197 2002: Younger Adults N=572; Boomers N=1646; Older Adults N=202

22 Boomers Expectations of Life Areas Consistent with last year s survey, most boomers report that they are where they expected to be at this point in their lives or are doing even better than they had expected. This is especially true in the areas of mental health, relations with family and friends and religious or spiritual life. In these three life areas, majorities say they are meeting their expectations, while an additional quarter say they are actually exceeding them. Less than two in 10 boomers say they are worse off than they expected to be in these three aspects of their lives. Boomers have not met their expectations as often in the remaining four life areas. Sizable minorities are disappointed when it comes to their leisure activities (35%), physical health (33%), personal finances (32%) and work or career (28%), saying they are worse off in these four life areas than they had expected they would be at this point in their life. Nevertheless, even in these aspects, solid majorities of boomers still say they have either met their expectations or exceeded them. TABLE 9: BOOMERS EXPECTATIONS OF LIFE AREAS Would you say your is better than you expected it to be at this point in your life, worse than you expected or are you where you expected to be at this point in your life? Where Better Worse Expected Off Off Mental health 2003 62 24 12 2002 62 23 13 Relations with family and friends 2003 59 27 13 2002 61 26 12 Religious or spiritual life 2003 54 27 17 2002 54 26 17 Work or career* 2003 40 31 28 2002 39 34 26 Physical health 2003 42 24 33 2002 44 21 33 Leisure activities 2003 46 18 35 2002 44 19 35 2003 37 29 32 2002 39 29 31 2003: Boomers (39 57) N=2016 2002: Boomers (38 56) N=2127 *Asked only of those employed either full or part-time. 2003: N=1485; 2002: N=1646

Expectations of Life Areas by Generation Following the pattern established in the 2002 survey, boomers are more like younger Americans than older Americans when it comes to meeting their expectations but not in a positive way. In all seven life areas, boomers are more likely than older Americans to say they are worse off. Roughly a third of boomers are disappointed in their leisure activities (35%), physical health (33%), personal finances (32%) and work or career (28%), compared to about two in 10 older Americans who say the same. And although fewer boomers say they are worse off than they had expected in their religious or spiritual life (17%), relations with family and friends (13%) and mental health (12%), even fewer older Americans have failed to meet their expectations in these areas. Following a familiar pattern, boomers are more similar to younger Americans, who tend to express disappointment in their life circumstances about as often as boomers. A notable number of younger Americans report being worse off than expected in leisure activities (32%), physical health (32%), personal finances (27%) and work or career (26%). In one area religious and spiritual life younger adults (24%) are more likely to say they are worse off than boomers (17%). TABLE 10: EXPECTATIONS OF LIFE AREAS BY GENERATION Would you say your is better than you expected it to be at this point in your life, worse than you expected or are you where you expected to be at this point in your life? % saying worse off... Younger Older Adults Boomers Adults Leisure activities 2003 32 35 17 2002 30 35 16 Physical health 2003 32 33 24 2002 32 33 20 2003 27 32 22 2002 31 31 16 Work or career* 2003 26 28 18 2002 26 26 12 Religious or spiritual life 2003 24 17 7 2002 26 17 8 Mental health 2003 12 12 7 2002 11 13 7 Relations with family and friends 2003 9 13 4 2002 15 12 7 2003: Younger Adults (18 38) N=736; Boomers (39 57) N=2016; Older Adults (58+) N=748 2002: Younger Adults (18 37) N=781; Boomers (38 56) N=2127; Older Adults (57+) N=758 *Asked only of those employed either full or part-time. 2003: Younger Adults N=555; Boomers N=1485; Older Adults N=197 2002: Younger Adults N=572; Boomers N=1646; Older Adults N=202 23