A new survey by the organisers of the 50+ Show suggests that the over 50s in Britain are happy, healthy and wealthy, but have more important things to do than think about sex.
The 50+ Show will take place Thursday 12 July to Saturday 14 July at London’s Olympia Grand Hall and is the largest exhibition for mature visitors in the UK. Free tickets to the 50+ Show are available at www.50plusShow.com.
When thinking about how happy they were, 46% of those polled said they were quite contented (and 23% said they were very happy): 13% said they were ‘a bit discontented,’ while only 3% said they were very unhappy.
A total of 58% said they were generally healthy (15% said they were in ‘robust good health’), while only 5% said they were not in good health or were often poorly.
With regards to their plans for financing their retirement, 38% of respondents said that they felt happy about their financial future, versus only 16% who were unhappy. Only 4% said that they had ‘no plans’ other than relying on the state pension and 1% said they were depending on a lottery win for their pension.
When asked about what they thought of when thinking about their retirement, respondents to the 50+ Show’s survey placed health and leisure time at their top of their priorities, followed by finance, ‘new beginnings,’ family and companionship. Loneliness, infirmity and death were low down on the list of respondents’ feelings about retirement, but sex figured lowest of all, with only 1% of respondents thinking about it when they thought about retirement.
Respondents to the survey had a range of attitudes to retirement:
According to one, “I love being retired. I can get up when I like and go to bed when I’m ready and I enjoy the freedom to do the things I love to do,” and another said “I looked forward to it. At the beginning, I had to rethink my identity as for so many years my life was dominated by work. I don’t like the word ‘retired’; it sounds like I have been put out to pasture. But within six months, I was fine about who I am.”
The 50+ Show in London showcases the opportunities available to mature visitors, including travel, finance, health, volunteering, park homes, motoring, craft and other subjects. The show includes a climbing wall, live cookery demonstrations, all-day dancing, live choirs and music and fashion shows with ‘real people.’ Free tickets to the 50+ Show are available at www.50plusShow.com.
460 respondents took the on-line survey between 29 May and 11 June: 66% of respondents were female.
