Six in Ten Gen Xers Would Sign a Contract Guaranteeing They Live to See Their 100th Birthday

New York, NY – Six in ten (60%) adults ages 36 to 51 (‘Gen Xers’) say that if they could sign a contract today guaranteeing that they live to see their 100th birthday, they would – including one in ten (11%) who say that they would sign regardless of their physical or mental condition. According to the recent online study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of MDVIP, another three in ten (31%) who would sign this contract say that they would only do so if they were guaranteed to be in good mental/ brain health, while roughly one in ten would only sign if they were either guaranteed to be in good physical health (10%) or able to sign with their spouse (8%). The other 40% of Gen Xers say that they would not sign such a contract, including 27% who would want nature to take its course and another one in ten (13%) who say that they are simply not interested in living to 100.

• Men (68% vs. 53% women), younger Gen Xers (65%, ages 36-43 vs. 55% ages 44-51), the more affluent (64% earning over $50,000 vs. 52% earning less), those with children living at home (66% vs. 54% no kids), those with a college degree (65% vs. 55% no degree), and those who are married (65% vs. 52% not married) are significantly more likely to say they would sign a contract today guaranteeing they live to see their 100th birthday.
• Boomers – defined here as adults ages 52 to 70 – are much less inclined to sign this type of contract, with just over half (54%) saying that they would. This includes only 5% who say that they would take their chances and sign regardless of their physical or mental condition.
• Instead, Boomers are much more likely to say that they would want nature to take its course (34% vs. 27%, Gen X).

While the notion of signing a contract is appealing to many, three quarters of both Gen Xers (73%) and Boomers (75%) believe that advances in science/technology are going to keep more people alive past the age of 100.

The average ideal age that Gen Xers would want to live until is 88 years old, and this includes roughly a quarter who say that they would want to live to be between the ages of 80-89 (28%), 90-99 (25%), or again over the age of 100 (28%). Results drop slightly when looking at what age they expect they will live until, with Gen Xers reporting that in reality they believe that they will live to be an average of 82 years old. This time, three in ten (30%) say that they expect to live until they are between 80-89 years old, while fewer believe that they will live to be 90-99 years old (22%) or beyond the age of 100 (11%).

• Boomers (ages 52 to 70) are not only significantly more likely to want to live longer (91 years old, on average), but they also expect to live longer as well (85 years old).

When asked to imagine their life in 20 years, the majority of Gen Xers still see themselves travelling/ vacationing (67%), pursuing personal passions/hobbies (59%), and socializing with friends and/or actively meeting new people (52%). Another 49% believe that they will still be sexually active. Working (full or part-time) (46%), volunteering (38%), participating in physical activities/ sports (35%), and caring for grandchildren (35%) are activities that at least one third or more imagine they will be doing in 20 years from now, while just under three in ten Gen Xers picture themselves still enjoying the arts (29%). Caring for parents (22%) and continuing their education/ lifelong learning (21%) are not as common, although just over one in five adults ages 36 to 51 believe they will still be doing these things in 20 years, while supporting adult children (14%) and engaging in extreme adventures (9%) are mentioned by about one in ten. Very few Gen Xers (4%) say that they do not imagine themselves doing any of these things 20 years from now – especially the less affluent (7%), those who would not sign a contract (8%), those with no children living at home (7%), and those who are not married (7%).

Additional information including findings and methodology is available for download.

To learn more and gain access to the press release, infographic, and other additional information, please visit: http://www.mdvip.com/longevity

For more information on this news release please contact:

Chris Jackson
Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs
202-420-2025
[email protected]

Marie-Pierre Lemay
Account Manager
Ipsos Public Affairs
613-793-1622
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry. With a strong presence in 87 countries, Ipsos employs more than 16,000 people and has the ability to conduct research programs in more than 100 countries. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is controlled and managed by research professionals. They have built a solid Group around a multi-specialist positioning – Media and advertising research; Marketing research; Client and employee relationship management; Opinion & social research; Mobile, Online, Offline data collection and delivery. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999.