The top reasons why people don't mind growing older

South Africans who took part in a poll to gauge feelings about ageing were generally more optimistic about getting old than the global average of about one in three.

That's according to a survey conducted by Ipsos in which 20,788 adults, aged between 16 and 64, were interviewed online in 28 countries.

The countries that were most positive about ageing were India (73%) and Turkey (67%). The most pessimistic about ageing were Hungary (7%) and Japan (10%).

The top reasons why people did not mind growing older were: 

• More time to spend with friends and family (36%);
• More time for hobbies and leisure (32%);
• More time for holidays and travel (26%); and
• Giving up work (26%).

Commonly cited downsides were worries about:

• Insufficient retirement savings (30%);
• Losing mobility (26%); and
• Losing memory (24%).

"Despite this, a majority of us worldwide expect to be fit and healthy in old age (57%), and this is even higher in South Africa at 64%," Ipsos said.

"Globally, half (52%) of us worry about old age with people in Brazil and China (72% in both countries) most likely to agree with this. Those in South Korea are least concerned; only one in six (16%) agree that they worry about old age."

South Africans were less concerned than the global average, with 42%.

The global consensus was that old age begins at 66.

"The biggest determinant of what someone thinks of as being old is their own age. The older people get, the more likely they are to define 'old' as being something that happens later in life."

These were the words mostly used to describe old age:

• Wise (35%);
• Frail (32%);
• Lonely (30%); and
• Respected (25%).

Just over half of the participants (55%) thought technology would ease and improve ageing.

Ipsos director Mari Harris said: “People also tend to think that there are things that they can do to ensure they are prepared for old age, though there is a gap between what we know we should be doing, and what we are doing in practice. Later life should be our golden years, but there is clearly much work to be done for this time in our life to be seen as such.”

Here are common mentions of what people could do to improve their health:

• Regular exercise (60%);
• Healthy diet (59%);
• Saving enough money for an adequate pension (51%);
• Not smoking (45%);
• A good circle of friends (44%); and
• Doing sports or having a hobby (44%).

But there was a gap between what participants believed the should do and what they were doing. Just under three in 10 (28%) of South Africans said they were saving enough money for a sufficient pension.

In most countries, 1000 people participated in the survey but in South Africa around 500, largely urban and educated, people took part.

The poll was conducted between August 24 and September 7 2018.