Majority of Older Canadians Believe They're
Happier (65%), Physically Healthier (71%) and Mentally Healthier (66%) Than Their Parents Were At Their Age

Toronto, ON - Canadians - and especially those over the age of 55 - appear to have a positive assessment of where they are in life, both compared to their own expectations and when compared against where their parents were at the same age as them, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television.

Most Canadians over the age of 55 believe they're ahead of where their parents were from a health perspective at this stage of their life. Two thirds of older Canadians `agree' (27% strongly/38% somewhat) that they think they're happier than their parents were when they were their age. Furthermore, nearly three quarters (71%) `agree' (29% strongly/42% somewhat) that they think they're physically healthier than their parents were at the same age, and two in three (66%) `agree' (25% strongly/41% somewhat) that they think they're mentally and spiritually healthier than their parents were.

But when it comes to achieving their own expectations, older Canadians are a little more mixed on where they stand relative to their own expectations from when they were younger. While three in ten (29%) indicate that their life now is better than they expected it to be when imagining it twenty years ago, the same proportion (29%) says it's about what they expected. However, two in ten (19%) say their life now is actually worse than they expected it to be when thinking ahead to the future, twenty years ago. One quarter (23%) confess that they never imagined their life at their current age.

Canadians were asked what age they consider to be "old age". A majority (51%) of Canadians overall, including 67% of those aged 55+ indicated that old age isn't about a number, it's all about your attitude. Those that believe it is indeed a number settled on an average of 74.6 years old. Just one in three (32%) adults aged 18 to 34 agree that it is an attitude, while the remainder of them assign the age of 62.5 as "old age". A majority (52%) of those aged 35 to 54 believe it's an attitude, but the remainder of them believes that 72 is "old age".

In referring to a person of advanced years, one might struggle to find the proper word to use without insulting anybody. But one half (50%) of those aged 55+ say that people over the age of 65 should be called "seniors", while 24% prefer the term "senior citizen". Two in ten (18%) believe the term "older person" should be used, while just one in ten (8%) like the term "elder" the best.

Thinking about what they want their retirement to look like, four in ten (37%) Canadians, overall, say that it would be leaving their primary job but still working part-time at something, including 38% of older Canadians. One in three (31%) want to walk out the door and never return to work again, including 30% of those aged 55+. One in ten (13%) say they want to kick off a new career in something they've always wanted to pursue, an idea that's much more common among those aged 18 to 34 (19%) than middle-aged (13%) or older (9%) Canadians. Two in ten (19%) say some other mix is their ideal plan for retirement.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 9 and 14, 2010, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey, a sample of 1,044 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker
CEO
Ipsos Public Affairs
(416) 324-2001
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

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Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe. Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2009, Ipsos generated global revenues of e943.7 million ($1.33 billion U.S.). .

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