As World Populations Age, Is the New World Coping Better Than the Old World?

New York, NY -- North America's seniors appear to be taking a decidedly hands-on approach to wellness as they age, according to a global survey by market research company Ipsos-Reid. But this trend has not extended beyond North America into Europe.

North Americans aged 55 and older are more likely than Europeans in the same age group to be taking vitamins or other supplements, controlling their weight, and reading nutrition labels on food products. When it comes to exercise, however, older North Americans don't overtake their European counterparts--until they reach the age of 65. North Americans aged 65+ are not only more physically active than their age-mates in Europe--they are also more likely to exercise than are North Americans aged 55 to 64.

"Older North Americans seem very committed to making this time of their lives the best that it can be--and they clearly know that maintaining their health is the right step in this direction", said Kiley Turner, Ipsos-Reid's Editorial Director. "These seniors are defying the notion that feeling young entails being young, which is a very exciting sociological movement."

Other Ipsos global findings suggest that older North Americans may be benefiting psychologically from their active pursuit of health. A Global Express survey conducted in 2001 asked adults in various regions to predict whether they would be better off or worse off in ten years. Among the 55+ age bracket, North Americans were more than twice as likely to be optimistic as Eastern or Western Europeans were: 45% of North Americans aged 55+ said "better off", compared to 19% of Eastern Europeans and only 10% of Western Europeans in this age bracket.

"While Americans have been chided about their obsession with youth, older Europeans' more passive acceptance of aging doesn't seem to make them upbeat about their prospects", commented Turner. "In fact, you could argue that North Americans are redefining what it means to be `young.' Their approach to aging may be less about denial of the process than a reinterpretation of its meaning--that the golden years really can be golden, especially if you make maintaining your health a priority."

The Global Express Research Methodology These international survey research data were collected via Ipsos-Reid's Global Express, a quarterly international omnibus survey. Data are based on individual surveys taken with a random sampling of adults (18+) across national markets.

The European countries represented in the first chart are France, Germany, U.K., and urban Russia. The data for the first chart were collected in early-2002. In the second chart, Western Europe represents Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, and Portugal, while Eastern Europe represents Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, urban Russia, and Ukraine. The data for the second chart were collected in early-2001.

The target sample size in each country was 500, except for the United States where 1,000 interviews were conducted. Within each country, the survey results can be said to be within 177 4.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult population been surveyed; 177 3.1 percentage points for the 1,000 sample in the United States.

For more information about this press release, please contact: Kiley Turner at (212) 584-9266, or email her at [email protected].