Active ageing: report

This survey has been commissioned by the European Commission’s Directorate General for the Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion to understand European citizens’ views and attitudes towards older people, the contribution of older people in the workplace and society, and how best to promote an active role of older people in society. This report covers the 27 Member States and five non-[European Union] EU countries; namely Croatia, Iceland, [Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia] FYROM, Norway and Turkey. The results are presented at an aggregate level for the EU27 excluding the five non-EU countries. The socio-demographic analysis focuses primarily on age, gender, occupation and relative affluence. The main themes addressed in this report are: (1) overall perceptions of age and older people - perceptions of and attitudes towards older people, the potential role for older people in society and the impact of the ageing population in the future; (2) older people in the workplace - attitudes towards older people in the workplace and potential barriers to continuing work; (3) retirement and pensions - attitudes towards the official retirement age and pension payments and whether any changes are appropriate; (4) voluntary work and support for older people - establishing the level of personal participation in voluntary work and care of older people; and (5) age friendly environment - identifying the countries/areas best adapted to the needs of older people and how improvements can be made in those most poorly adapted.

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