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Most older adults say they’re happy and express an optimistic outlook, expecting their lives to improve as they get older, a new AARP survey finds. Yet, their view of the future of the country and world as a whole isn’t as rosy.
Personal happiness
Nearly 9 in 10 adults ages 50 and older are at least somewhat optimistic about their future, with half (49%) being extremely or very optimistic. Likewise, most (86%) 50-plus adults are happy and are expecting to live a long, prosperous life. Happiness increases with age, with those ages 65-plus happier than those ages 50–64 (25% vs. 17% very happy).
That positive future outlook does not entirely translate to the nation’s future, however, with 61% of older adults expressing optimism about their country, significantly less than the 89% who expressed optimism for their own future. A lower 54% expressed optimism concerning the world as a whole.
When it comes to relationships, things only get better with age. Nearly three in 10 (28%) believe their relationships with friends and family have improved over the last five years, and 45% feel they will only get better.
Older adults seem to want more years of life than they realistically believe they will get. While people age 50-plus would like to live to a median age of 92 years, their median estimate of how long they will actually live falls shorter, at 85 years.
The survey, meanwhile, revealed somewhat of a disconnect in older adults’ self-assessed health versus their actual medical history. More than four in 10 (41%) reported their health as being excellent or very good, yet 74% are living with at least one chronic condition and half (53%) have two or more conditions.
Life’s best decade
Notably, despite most older adults saying they’re both happy currently and optimistic about what the future holds in store, two-thirds say their best decade came before age 50. When older adults assessed past decades, life as thirty-somethings had the most appeal (26%), followed by the twenties (21%) and forties (20%). The experience of being 50-something, meanwhile, fell in the same range, at 19%.
Methodology
NORC administered this online survey to a nationally representative set of 1,013 adults age 50 and older in September 2024 via the Foresight 50+ Consumer Omnibus Survey. For more information, please contact Laura Skufca at lskufca@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.
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