Understanding the complexities of age: Who is considered "old

Who Is Old
Thursday 24th May 2012
Tavis House
1-6 Tavistock Square
London
WC1H 9NA

Agenda
13:30 Registration
14:00 Chair’s Welcome – Ian Rutter – Senior Manager, Engage Business Network

Speakers
14:10 Professor Dominic Abrams, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Kent
14:35 Dr Rob Hicks, General Practitioner and Media Doctor

15:00 Break and refreshments

15:15 Julika Erfurt, Manager Strategy Practice, Accenture
15:40 Richard Watson, Futurologist, Now and Next

16:05 Tom Wright CBE, Group CEO, Age UK

16:15 Drinks and networking
17:00 Close

Welcome

Ian Rutter – Senior Manager, Engage Business Network

How the Engage Business Network can help you

• The over 50’s account for 80% of the UK’s wealth:

£300 billion

• Total annual spending by households including someone aged 65+:

£109 billion

• Percentage of people aged 65+ who think businesses have little
interest in the consumer needs of older people:

39%

• Understand the complexities of older generations and their consumer
behaviour;

• Gain insights into core consumer markets through our unique channels:
• Conferences and seminars;
• Social Networking;
• Business Matters on The Wireless:
www.ageuk.org.uk/the-wireless
• Press and PR activities

• Increase knowledge from our emerging research into:
• Market Segmentation;
• Inclusive Product Design;
• Communication Channels

Who Is Old?
(and what are the consequences?)

Dominic Abrams
Hannah Swift

Centre for the Study of Group
Processes, University of Kent
Age UK Business Seminar
Tavis House
May 24th 2012

Acknowledgements

Age UK
EURAGE
Sujata Ray
Dr Melanie Vauclair
European Social Survey
Dr Sophieke Russell
Prof. Roger Jowell
Dr Christopher Brat
Dr. Rory Fitgerald
Prof Kevin McKee
Dr. Sally Widdop
Prof Louisa Lima
Dr Sibila Marques
Department for
Work and Pensions
Maxine Willetts
Claire Frew

Dominic Abrams and Hannah Swift Who is Old? Age UK Business Seminar

Overview

Perception and Categorisation
Feelings and Images
Expectations and Decisions
Effects
Implications


Maximise your profits:
Who would you hire?
Person A relatively Person B relatively
more adept at more adept at

Settling arguments Learning new skills
Understanding others’ Being a creative
views problem solver
Dealing with people politely Using internet resources
Solving crosswords Driving
and and

Has a healthy diet Takes exercise


At what age do you think
“old age” begins?

A: 20-29
B: 30-39
C: 40-49
D: 50-59
E: 60-69
F: 70-79
G: 80+


At what age do you think
“youth” ends?

A: 20-29
B: 30-39
C: 40-49
D: 50-59
E: 60-69
F: 70-79
G: 80+


Age Categorisation
Perceived Start of Old Age and End of Youth
Among People of Different Ages
At what
age do 80.00 Perceived Age at
Which Youth
you think Stops
Perceived Age at
old age Which Old Age
Starts
70.00
starts? Average Estimated Age

60.00
At what
age do
you think 50.00

people
stop 40.00

being
young? 30.00
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+
Age in 10 year blocks


Perceived Start of Old Age

Greece 68
Cyprus 67
Portugal 66
Israel 66
Switzerland 65
Denmark 64
Belgium 64
Poland 64
Slovenia 64
Russian Federation 64
Ukraine 63
France 63
Bulgaria 63
Netherlands 63
Latvia 63
Norway 63
Sweden 62
Spain 62
Romania 62
Germany 62
Hungary 61
Estonia 61
Finland 61
Slovakia 61
Czech Republic 60
Croatia 60
United Kingdom 59
Turkey 55

All ESS 62
50 55 60 65 70 75 80


Perceived End of Youth

Greece 52
Cyprus 52
Romania 47
Slovenia 44
Belgium 44
Ukraine 44
Latvia 44
Slovakia 44
Germany 44
Bulgaria 43
Israel 43
Spain 42
Poland 42
Switzerland 41
Netherlands 40
Czech Republic 40
Estonia 40
France 39
Hungary 39
Croatia 39
Denmark 39
United Kingdom 35
Portugal 35
Finland 35
Turkey 34
Sweden 34
Norway 34

All ESS 40

30 35 40 45 50 55 60


Perceived Duration of Middle Age

Portugal 30
Norw ay 29
Sw eden 28
Finland 26
Denmark 26
Sw itzerland 24
United Kingdom 24
France 24
Netherlands 23
Israel 22
Poland 22
Hungary 22
Estonia 22
Croatia 21
Turkey 21
Belgium 21
Czech Republic 20
Spain 20
Bulgaria 20
Slovenia 20
Ukraine 19
Latvia 19
Germany 18
Slovakia 17
Greece 16
Cyprus 15
Romania 15

All ESS 22

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35


Age categorisation is flexible


FEELINGS
Prejudice - devaluing people because of
their perceived membership of a social
group (Abrams, 2010)


PREJUDICE
Categorisation

Prejudice

Stereotypes
and Emotions

Expression of Ageism

Only 4.8%
of people across Europe
expressed
negative feelings towards
people aged 70 and over


Experience of Prejudice

% in the last year
40
34.5

30
24.9

20 17.3

10

0
y

e
er

Ag
it

nd
nic

Ge
Eth


Perceived Seriousness
of Age Prejudice
(ESS 2008-9)

70

60
Per cent 'serious'

50

40

30

20

10

0
Denmark Cyprus Belgium Sweden UK


IMAGES of AGE


Societal Status
Mean Perceived Status of Age Categories (0-10)

8
6.7

6 5.2
Status

4.4
4

2
20s 40s Over 70


Imagery


Competence and Pity


Money vs Respect


Pity

Donation
Incompetence
£££££


Age and Work?


Worry that Employers Prefer Those in 20s
Finland 67.7
Netherlands 60.7
Greece
Israel
Portugal
Poland
Germany
Russian
Ukraine
Spain
Belgium
Slovenia
France
Romania 52.1
United Kingdom
Sw itzerland
Hungary
Croatia
Slovakia
Estonia
Bulgaria 41.6
Czech
Sw eden
Turkey
Denmark
Cyprus 30.5
Norw ay

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Dominic Abrams and Hannah Swift Who is Old? Percentage
Age UK Business Seminar

Acceptability as a Boss

8
Acceptability (0-10)

6

4

2
30 year old 70 year old


Skills-Age Stereotypes


Harmless?


Stereotype Threat

Stereotypes create disadvantage

the ‘burden of suspicion’ that a
negative stereotype about one’s
group’s abilities may be confirmed

E.g. maths stereotypes: women
worse than men


Test of Cognitive Ability
(Abrams, Eller, Bryant, 2006)

97 participants over the age of 59

“see whether old people do perform more poorly on
intellectual tasks than young people” (high threat).
Vs
“see how people differ in their responses on different
tasks” (low threat).


5
4.5
4
Anxiety Level

3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
Low Threat High Threat


1
Performance index

0.5

0

-0.5

-1


Test of Physical Ability
(Swift, Lamont & Abrams, BMJ Open in press)

56 participants, average age of 82

“see whether old people perform differently in
comparison with younger people” (high threat).
vs
“see how people perform on various tasks” (low threat).


Strength
14
14

12
12

10
10

8
8
kg
secs.
6
6

4
4

2
2

0
0


Not all is lost…
Test of Crossword Ability
(Swift, Abrams & Marques, J. Geronotology, in press)

125 participants, average age of 76

“see whether old people perform more poorly on
intellectual tasks than younger people” (high threat).
vs
No information (control)
vs
“see whether older people do solve problems more
effectively than younger people” (boost).


Is there a positive?
Crossword Performance index 1

0.5

0

-0.5

-1
Threat No Threat Boost


Conclusions
• Age is both a physical and a subjective
reality
•Age-based expectations create traps and
limit horizons
•Imagery plays an important role in framing
age expectations
•Ethical dilemmas face marketing
strategies related to age
•Also huge opportunities to move beyond
traditional age-based expectations


“Must be my age”
Dr Rob Hicks

What they say ………

It’s my age I’ll just have
to put up
with it
Nothing
can be
done
These are out-dated

Heart - Circulation
Blood vessels hardened
and narrowed
Heart less efficient

High blood pressure

Heart attack

Heart failure

Bones and joints

Weak and less dense Fractures

Wear and tear Stiffness and pain

Muscles weaker Poor balance

Bladder and bowels

Prostate enlargement Frequency

Muscle weakness Incontinence

Gut muscle tone less Constipation

Mind
Fewer brain cells Memory loss

Reduced blood flow Depression

Isolation Loss of independence

Loss of role/purpose Relationship breakdown

And the rest …….
Kidneys Decrease size, less
efficient
Lungs Less efficient, less oxygen

Hearing Reduced high frequency

Vision Less flexible – close up

No guarantees

Disease and illnesses

Loss of independence

Poor quality of life

Lifestyle Top 10

Don’t
Get Smoke Healthy
Checked Diet

Enjoy Keep
Stuff Active
Top
10
Sun Limit
Aware Alcohol

Safer
Rest
Take Sex
5

A New Beginning

Dr Rob Hicks

Who is Old?
The Seven Myths of Population Aging
Julika Erfurt (Accenture, Strategy Practice)

The research presented in this presentation is based on an article by Julika Erfurt,
Athena Peppes and Mark Purdy, “Seven Myths of Population Aging: How
Companies and Governments Can Turn the “Silver Economy” into an Advantage”;
European Business Review (Forthcoming)

Myth #1 Reality

“Emerging economies will balance Population aging is a global
out the “silver tsunami” of trend that affects many emerging
developed economies” economies

Copyright © 2012 Accenture All Rights Reserved. 62

Emerging economies: getting
Myth #1 Reality
older, too

The proportion of older age groups in China, Brazil and Mexico will rise substantially
in coming decades

2010

2010

-35%


Myth #2 Reality

“Countries with aging By taking steps to increase the
populations face decades of low employment of older workers,
growth” countries can avert economic
stagnation


Enhanced participation of older
Myth #2 Reality
workers means higher GDP

Increasing the number of older workers and making productivity-enhancing investments
in human capital, governments and businesses could boost growth and job creation

Estimated US GDP growth as a result of increased number of workers (US$ Trillions)


Myth #3 Reality

“Employment is a zero-sum Retaining older workers is likely
game, so retaining older workers to increase overall employment
will only worsen the crisis of growth
youth unemployment”


Greater workforce participation
Myth #3 increases the overall economic Reality
pie thus fuelling job creation

Participation among elderly workers is associated with greater participation among
younger workers

Labor participation trends in Canada (1976 – 2006)


Myth #4 Reality

“Older workers tend to be less Organisations can sustain older
productive” workers’ productivity by adapting
the workplace to their needs
Productivity


Adapting the workplace to older
Myth #4 Reality
workers boosts productivity

BMW’ s production line composed of a majority of elderly workers increased its
productivity

Age

Source: Harvard Business Review, 2010.

Myth #5 Reality

“The entrepreneurial spirit Older people are more likely to
declines with age” set up a new business, and
they’re less likely to fail


Older people are more likely to
Myth #5 Reality
set up a business and less likely
to fail
Entrepreneurship among older people could potentially be even higher if age-related
barriers were removed, such as limits for financial products, higher interest rates for
loans, or exclusion from insurance products

Age-groups for successful start-up companies Key facts about old age entrepreneurship
in the UK (2001 – 2005)

Source: National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, 2009.


Myth #6 Reality

“Old consumers are an Old consumers have vast
unattractive demographic for purchasing power, making them
marketers” an untapped opportunity for
marketers


Older consumers are an
Myth #6 untapped opportunity for Reality
marketers

Baby boomers have vast purchasing US consumers over 50 outspent younger
power adults by $1 trillion in 2010

Yet, only 30% of TV advertisement
includes someone over 50

Source: Willetts D., 2010.


Myth #7 Reality

“Older consumers are less likely to The digital divide isn’t inherently
adopt new technology” age based and it will close over
time
•


Myth #7 The digital divide isn’t inherently age Reality
based and it will close over time

Many of the younger baby boomers were in the workforce during the evolution of
computers and the Internet, and were the first to understand the value of technology

Change in internet use by age in the United States, 2000 – 2010

Internet use

Source: Pewinternet, 2012


CEO Checklist* for excelling in the silver economy

• Attracting/retaining talent: Does the business
have an age-proof human capital strategy?
• Talent supply/demand: Has the business
• Size of the prize: Has the business forecasted changes in its workforce, future skill
run a diagnostic to quantify silver profile requirements and availability of talent?
opportunities? • Work models: in order to increase employer
War for
• Innovation: Does the business have Silver attractiveness, are flexible, tailored work models
talent offered?
a silver economy innovation strategy? economy
• Is the company prepared for potential strategy
regulatory/legal changes?
• Tailored Investment: How much funding
Lifelong goes towards learning per employee age-
learning group and are they fit for purpose?
• X-Gen Learning: Does the business use
Intergene- intergenerational knowledge management
• Commitment/Awareness: Has rational approaches?
the organisation articulated equity
• Productivity: is brain fitness offered and
intergenerational justice as part of
work place age-proofed?
its sustainability commitment? New
Brand, products &
marketing & services
CRM
• Routes to Market: What is the most powerful
channel to engage with silver consumers (channel
audit)?
• Investment: How much R&D does the business
Corporate strategy • Branding: Is the business’ brand positioned
spent on new product/service development?
to attract silver consumers?
• Portfolio: What e-services and technology
Workplace strategy • Insight: Does the business have good
solutions are available/cater to the needs of the
market intelligence on perceptions and trends?
silver consumer?
Marketplace strategy • Sales tactics: Does the business have
customer profiles for those beyond 55?
Copyright © 2012 Accenture All Rights Reserved. * Not exhaustive

No Country for Old Men (or Women)
How demographics, especially ageing, will radically
reshape business in the UK and elsewhere.

Thank you.
Websites: www.nowandnext.com www.futuretrendsbook.com
Email: richard@nowandnext.com

Tom Wright – CBE, Group CEO, Age UK

Understanding the complexities of age: Who is considered "old

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