Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Well-being in later life...

Combining the strengths of UMIST andThe Victoria University of Manchester

Well-being in later lifeWell-being in later lifeDiversity and inequality in economic andDiversity and inequality in economic and

social transitionssocial transitions

James Nazroo

Sociology, School of Social Sciences

[email protected]


Survival rates by age and period: UK women

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100Age

Pro

po

rtio

n s

urv

ivin

g

1911-1915

1951-1955

1991-1995


An Ageing World

• The number of elderly people (those aged 65 and older) increased more than threefold since 1950.

• In Europe 14% of the population is 65 and older; by 2050 this is estimated to be 28% of the population.

• In 2002 there were 3.4 people for each person of pensionable age in the UK, by 2031 this ratio will 2.5.

• The rate of increase of the 65 and older population is accelerating:• Currently it is by 8 million people per year;• In 2030 it is estimated to be by 24 million people per year.

• The oldest old (those aged 80 and older) is the fastest growing group among the elderly.


United Nations projected per cent of the Global Population (Revision 2004)

0

5

10

15

20

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Pe

r c

en

t o

f g

lob

al p

op

ula

tio

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Actual Predicted

Age 65+

Age < 5


An ageing population

An equation of older age:

• Illness and physical dependency – a crisis in health care;

• Poverty and financial dependency – a pension crisis;

• Not having a role in society and social isolation;

• Being dissatisfied

‘A looming catastrophe, as populations top-heavy with frail, retired elderly drain pension and social security funds, overwhelm health care systems, and rely for support on a dwindling working-age population.’


Labour force participation among older people

Men aged 60-64

0

20

40

60

80

100

68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96

Year

Full-time Part-time Self-employed

Banks and Smith, FES 1968-1996

Women aged 55-59

0

20

40

60

80

100

68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96

Year


Chronic disability (Americans aged 65 plus)

6

7

8

9

10

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

Nu

mb

er

in m

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ns

Total population aged 65+ was 26.9m

(Projected) Total population aged 65+ was

36.4m


Total population aged 65+ was

30.8m

Source: National Long Term Care Survey 1982-1994 (Manton, revised November 1999)


Chronic disability (Americans aged 65 plus)

6

7

8

9

10

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

Nu

mb

er

in m

illio

ns

If chronic disability rate remained constant Based on declines in chronic disability rate since 1982


(Projected) Total population aged 65+ was

36.4m


Total population aged 65+ was

30.8m

Source: National Long Term Care Survey 1982-1994 (Manton, revised November 1999)


An ageing population

But:

• Improvements in health alongside increases in life expectancy?

• Growing economic well-being of people post-retirement?

• Social productivity and cultural mainstream, rather than dependency and exclusion?

‘A looming catastrophe, as populations top-heavy with frail, retired elderly drain pension and social security funds, overwhelm health care systems, and rely for support on a dwindling working-age population.’

And growing diversity and inequality in the experience of later life.


The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

• Health trajectories, disability and healthy life expectancy

• The relationship between economic position and health

• The determinants of economic position in later life

• Timing of retirement and post retirement labour market activity

• Social participation, productivity, networks and support

• Economic, social and health inequalities

A panel study of people aged 50 and older, interviewed every two years (since 2002), currently in its third wave of data collection.


ELSA: sample design and data collection

• Sample at wave 1 is approximately 11,500 people born before 1st March 1952 who are in the private household sector at baseline. Refreshed with younger people at wave 3.

• Drawn from Health Survey for England (1998, 1999, 2001 years) - HSE measures form ELSA baseline (wave 0).

• Includes spouses outside the age range and partners who joined the household since the HSE baseline (giving 12,100 cases in total).

• Those incapable of doing the interview have a proxy interview.

• Interviewed every two years since 2002, with a biomedical assessment every four years.

• Exit interviews are carried out with the partners or carers of people who died after wave 1.


ELSA: broad questionnaire coverage

• Demographics

• Self-assessed health• Diagnosed disease & symptoms• Quality of received medical care• Activities of daily living and

Instrumental ADLS• Eyesight, hearing, pain, falls• Mental health• Health behaviours• Cognitive function measures• Physical performance measures• Biomedical measures

• Housing (tenure, quality and value)• Household wealth and income• Relative deprivation• Pensions and retirement• Employment status, earnings and

job characteristics• Consumption/spending

• Psychosocial factors & well-being• Social and civic participation• Expectations for the future

• Life histories

• Administrative data


Well-being outcomes

• Psychological well-being

• General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), 12 item version

• Dichotomised at a score > 3

• Quality of Life

• Control, Autonomy, Self-realisation and Pleasure scale (CASP-19)

• Dichotomised at a score < 37

• Depression symptoms

• Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D), eight item version

• Dichotomised at a score > 4


Age and psychological wellbeing(GHQ12)

0%

4%

8%

12%

16%

20%

50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Men Women


Age and quality of life (CASP19)

0%

4%

8%

12%

16%

20%

50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Men Women


Age and depression(CES-D)

0%

4%

8%

12%

16%

20%

50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Men Women


Categories of retirement status

• Routine, State Pension Age because ‘reached retirement age’

• Voluntary

• To enjoy life

• To spend time with partner or family

• Fed up with job and wanted a change

• To give the younger generation a chance

• Offered reasonable financial terms to retire early

• Involuntary

• Ill health (own or of a relative/friend)

• Made redundant

• Could not find another job


Retirement status and depression

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Still working Voluntaryretirement

Involuntaryretirement

Routineretirement

Long-term sick/unemployed

Looking afterhome or family

Men Women


Age, retirement status and depression (men)

0%

4%

8%

12%

16%

55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Working/routine retirement Voluntary retirement Involuntary retirement


Age and economic position

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80 plus

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

Bottom wealth quintile Bottom income quintile Financial debt


Retirement status and economic position

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Still working Voluntary retirement Involuntary retirement Routine retirement

Bottom wealth quintile Bottom income quintile


Retirement status and disability

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Still working Voluntary retirement Involuntary retirement Routine retirement

Can do all ADLs Can do all iADLS


Occupational position and retirement status

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Managerial andprofessional

Intermediate Small employers andown account workers

Routine and manual

NS-SEC Occupational Class

Routine retirement Involuntary Voluntary


Retirement status and retirement cohort

Men

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

< 19

88

1988

-199

2

1993

-199

7

1998

-200

2

Year reached State Pension Age

Women

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Year reached State Pension Age

Routine normal age retirement Involuntary retirement Voluntary retirement


Age and depression : multivariate analysis (CES-D score > 4)

50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Ln

od

ds

rati

o

Adjustment for gender only



50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Ln

od

ds

rati

o

Adjustment for gender only + Retirement status



50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Ln

od

ds

rati

o

Adjustment for gender only + Retirement status + Marital status



50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Ln

od

ds

rati

o

Adjustment for gender only + Retirement status + Marital status + Economics



50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+

Ln

od

ds

rati

o

Adjustment for gender only + Retirement status + Marital status+ Economics + Activities of daily living


We travel a lot. That's the other thing I do in my spare time, I do travel talks for … charity. I did two last week actually. People like … businessman's association, and I talked to them about [Country] where my daughter had lived for 4 years and we visited them quite a lot. So I do slide shows. And I did [Another Country] on Friday … I do those I suppose … well once or twice a month I suppose. Have lunch and … or evening sessions with different groups of people, talk to them about different places round the world that we've visited.

I looked after Modern Languages for a period of time as a governor [at the school]. And so I had a talk about [Area in France]. So I had some slides and did a talk in French … we then set a test for the youngsters. And we tried to make the subject live rather than … you know. So I could bring from something outside into the school. You know with my own knowledge of languages, which is reasonable, and with [Teacher’s] expertise we could actually together make the language more interesting than just learning for the sake of learning.

Man age 66, retired aged 58


R: I now work three days a month for them. For a while … But my knowledge becomes out of date … yeah it will fade away, I’ve no illusions about that. But at the moment it’s great and they’re paying well for it, so that’s it.

I: Was that an idea you had that you wanted to stay working for a little bit of time or …

R: Yeah. And you know also there are other people there that have done it. It’s the kind of job that you can do that ... [Employers] rely on experts in part and therefore for them it’s quite interesting to have someone on a retainer … they can call in a known expert. So it’s something that the company is used to doing, having people that they bring in, as opposed to having them working there full time and doing all the hard slog …

I: And was that important to you or not to be able to do that?

R: Yeah I think it was, yeah ’cos it just took the edge off complete isolation.

Man age 64, retired


R: I enjoy driving that’s all there’s to it … Like as I say it’s a bit rough at the moment with the cost of petrol and all that but we like to … that’s our pleasure getting around.

W: We only can go out say once fortnight or a month now, can’t we?

R: If we can keep the car moving we’re quite happy … we bomb off to a different town nearly every week. When it’s good weather we’ll do over the mountain way to [Town] and up round the dams (Laughs) some people think we’re a bit crazy … In the winter and that we’re just the same, we go off out and … the car’s warm.

W: It’s warmer in the car than in here because we can’t afford to have our central heating on all the time, can we … ?

R: It don’t matter who you vote for … that’s out of all sense and reason what they’ve done to it. If you work out you’re paying above four pound a gallon. Four pound a gallon for blooming petrol.

Man age 75, interviewed with his wife


Conclusions: well-being in later life

• Age and transitions:• Retirement status/route (voluntary)

• Marital status (divorce and widowhood)

• Wealth and disability

• Lifecourse• Gender, occupational class and work status (long-term sick,

unemployed, looking after the home/family)

• Cohort/Age:• Occupational structures

• Pension arrangements

• Retirement choices/opportunities

• Marriage choices

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Well-being in later life...

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