How often do we think about aging? What are we afraid of and what are we looking forward to in our old age? What are the greatest joys and the greatest worries of old age? When is it too late to start your own business or fall in love? Does the view of old age and aging in Serbia differ from the rest of the world?
The study “The Truth About Age”, conducted by McCann Truth Central – the centre of expertise of McCann Beograd, sought to answer these and many other questions. The study was carried out in more than 30 countries, including Serbia, and provided insight into global trends and comparisons between local and global results.
The aim of the study was twofold: to explore attitudes of different generations towards ageing; to offer a better understanding of those tagged as ‘seniors’ by society.
The representative sample of those polled in Serbia had 1,000 participants aged over 18, while part of the study focused on the over-55s, with a total of 500 respondents in that group.
“Aging is not something that only older people think about. Ageing is an inevitable process that all generations and people face, wherever and however they live. The pressures of feeling and looking youthful have never been greater. This study shows us the way people see old age and ageing, how their attitudes change as they grow older, what they do to slow the ageing process, what they might regret in the future, how Serbia differs from the rest of the world in that sense, and many other things. This topic has never before been studied in this manner, and the results give us a new perspective of ageing and our attitude towards it,” says Željka Mićić, research and development manager at McCann Beograd.
Financial worries are the number one problem among older people in Serbia, followed by problems related to their children and grandchildren
Thanks to this study, McCann discovered several facts about ageing:
1. We are not looking forward to old age
In Serbia, people in their 20s and 30s are the least worried about the ageing process and think about old age the least, as they view it as being too far in the future. However, as we grow older we are less indifferent towards ageing, experiencing more worry and fear.
2. Finances are the greatest worry of the older generation in Serbia, and the family brings the greatest joy.
For 72% of over-55s, the greatest source of happiness is their children and grandchildren, while most of them would like to spend more time with their families.
As many as 95% of respondents claim to have good relations with their offspring and would like to be remembered for caring about family and friends.
Financial worries are the number one problem among older people in Serbia, followed by problems related to their children and grandchildren.
3. When do we actually become old?
The largest percentage of participants in the study consider that we’re ‘old’ when we reach our 60s, while the younger generations perceive 50+ as old age and older participants view it as 70+.
However, 58% of participants think that it is never too late for love.
McCann Beograd’s ‘McCann Truth Central’ is part of the McCann global expertise centre that is present in 168 locations worldwide. To date, it has presented the studies “The Truth About Mothers” (2013), “The Truth About Wellness” (2014) and “The Truth About Youth” (2015/2016).
McCann Truth Central is a global intelligence unit dedicated to unearthing the macro-level truths that drive people’s attitudes and behaviours about life, brands and marketing.
www.mccann.rs