Ageing populations

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Baby boomers have a different way of approaching ageing,” says Sophie Schmitt, CEO of Seniosphère Conseil, a strategy and marketing consultancy that specialises in baby boomers and the senior population. “They consider ageing in a positive way – it’s something they’re really interested in. But, if you look at the silent generation [before baby boomers] they were not that focused. They were more accepting of ageing. Baby boomers are somehow fighting it.”

Seniosphère Conseil has been exploring the notion of ‘ageing well’ and the attitudes and behaviours that surround it since 2008, via an evolving survey, initially running only in France and now gathering insight from 50- to 70-year-olds in France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands via an online study. 

While there are many similarities between baby boomers in these markets, there are also some interesting differences. 

The first is how baby boomers across these five markets define the concept of ageing well. While respondents in all countries agreed that ‘being in good health’ was the most important factor; ‘feeling good about yourself’ was much more important to those in France, Germany and Spain than elsewhere; it was the second most important factor in France and Spain (third in Germany), but was fourth in line in the UK and Ireland, where ‘continuing to be able to do what you enjoy in life’ was the second most important factor in ageing well. 

Despite differences in definition, the notion of ageing well was of high importance across all countries, though particularly in Ireland, where 97% felt that it was either very or somewhat important. Meanwhile Spain ( 89%), France ( 88%) and the UK ( 87%) all had similar levels of overall agreement, and Germany was lagging behind ( 78%).

Interestingly, Germans reported the highest levels of health problems across all five markets. Some 83% had ‘at least one’ of a list of ailments, which included: being overweight; high blood pressure; cholesterol and diabetes; migraines; and cancer. They had the highest levels of reported obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma. Some 82% of Irish respondents also had at least one of the ailments, followed by 81% of Spanish and UK respondents, and 76% of French respondents. 

There were also some key differences observed across the markets concerning the age at which it was felt people should ‘start to do something’ in order to age well. Respondents in Ireland and the UK were most keen to act early: 78% of those in Ireland and 74% in the UK felt that one should act before the age of 40; 67% of Spanish and 73% of French respondents felt this should start before age 50; and 65% of Germans believed that this action could wait until after the age of 50.

When asked if they had taken any action to ensure that they were ageing well, 35% of all respondents said they had; 80% of these had paid more attention to their diet; 65% had done more physical exercise; and 47% had tried to sleep better. 

An interesting difference in health priorities was revealed among respondents in the UK, Germany and France, when asked what three areas they would spend £300 on if they were given that amount to help them age well. 

Looking at the five countries as a whole, the top answer was healthy eating. However, in the UK, the most popular element to spend money on was dental care, while in France and Germany it was spa or treatment sessions. This could be because in Germany and France visits to spas for medical reasons are commonplace. They are prescribed by doctors, with costs often covered by health services.

Another interesting finding was that a high proportion of baby boomers across the markets said they suffered from stress. This ranged from 73% in the UK to 90% in Spain. The main reported sources of stress were: family situations (named by 44% of respondents); physical problems linked to age ( 40%); financial problems ( 33%) and minor health issues ( 32%).