USA: "These Are Best Years of My Life", says Every Second Senior

Nearly Half of Older Americans Say "These Are Best Years Of My Life. National Council on the Aging Survey Reveals New Realities of Old Age; Myth of Generational Warfare Debunked; But Younger Americans May Be Underprepared for their "Second 50" Years WASHINGTON, DC (SeniorJournal), March 29, 2000: Nearly half (44 percent) of Americans age 65 and older describe the present as the best years of their lives, according to a study by The National Council on the Aging (NCOA). And in spite of some persistent misperceptions about aging, 84 percent of all Americans say they would be happy if they lived to be 90 years old. The study of more than 3,000 adults of all ages in the United States, conducted by NCOA in collaboration with the International Longevity Center, was supported by unrestricted grants from OppenheimerFunds, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. Harris Interactive Inc. conducted the survey. Among Americans age 65 to 69, 49 percent said "these are the best years of my life." Many people in their seventies (44 percent) and eighties (33 percent) agreed. (Among Americans of all ages, 66 percent described the present as their best years.) Sixty percent of older black and 57 percent of older Hispanic respondents said these are their best years. The share of older Americans who say these are the best years (44 percent) is a substantial increase over 32 percent who thought so in NCOA's 1974 "Myths and Reality of Aging" survey. "We've entered a new age of old age," said James Firman, Ed.D., president and CEO of NCOA. "The possibility of experiencing positive, vital aging lasting into our tenth decade of life is one of the new realities of the 21st century. While there are reasons for optimism, we need to remember there are millions of Americans for whom old age is a time of hardship."