WESTVlRGINIA DIRECTORS OF SENIOR AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
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For Immediate Release March 11, 2005
Contact: Dinah Mills
(304) 269-5738
BABY BOOMER SURVEY RELEASED
(Executive Summary Attached)
WESTON, W .V a. - Dinah Mills, President of the West Virginia Directors of Senior and Community Services (WVDSCS) announced that their" Survey of West Virginia 'First Wave' Baby Boomers"; has been publicly released. The first official copy of the survey was presented to Governor Joe Manchin III at the Senior Rally, attended by approximately 2,000 seniors, held in Charleston on March 3, 2005.
The purpose of the survey which targeted West Virginians born between 1946 and 1954, was to give professionals in the field of aging insight as to the needs and preferences of this future constituent group. This first wave of Baby Boomers in West Virginia totals about 270,000 members. They are the ones nearest to retirement and are the ones most likely to need or make use of aging services for either their parents or themselves.
The survey was conducted by researchers at Marshall University and funded in part by the Governor's Office, the West Virginia Senate, the West Virginia House of Delegates and WVDSCS.
The survey is available at www.wvseniorcenter.org and can also be found at www.state.wv. us/seniorservices. For further information regarding the survey, please contact Dinah Mills, President WVDSC~~ 304-269-5738 or Cinda Kinsey, Baby Boomer Survey Chair, 304-392-5138.
Executive Summary
A Survey of West Virginia 'First Wave' Baby Boomers, February 2005
With the sponsorship of the West Virginia Directors of Senior and Community Services and the state Bureau of Senior Services, a random sample survey of state residents born between 1946 and 1954, the first half of the Boomer generation, was conducted during the fall of 2004 by researchers at Marshall University. The response rate for the mailed survey was 43% and findings from the analysis of responses are accurate within plus or minus 4.1% at the 90% confidence level. Completed questionnaires were returned by 436 eligible responders.
The First Wave Boomers studied and reported on here totaled about 270,000 cohort members, according to the 2000 Census. Sponsors were most interested in looking at this oldest half of the Boomer generation because they are nearest to retirement and are the ones most likely to need or make use of Aging Network services in the near future.
The primary objectives of the survey were to:
1 Collect useful information about West Virginia's First Wave Boomers on a variety of topics and issues� most relevant to Aging Network and its constituents.
2. Analyze survey responses and report on them in a way that would prove useful in planning for assistance to this aging subgroup of the population.
3. Assure the widest possible dissemination of the report and encourage discussion across a range of relevant groups and organizations.
The full report, along with attachments, provides a detailed description and discussion of the major findings from the survey as well as the methods employed and the questionnaire used to collect the needed information.
The remainder of this Summary highlights the major topic areas and findings for
each,
Leisure Interests and Activities
The Aging Services Network will soon encounter a new participant generation with somewhat different leisure needs and interests from previous ones.
traveling and sightseeing are planned in retirement by 63% of Boomers; the most planned for activity
48% want to do volunteer work which could be a considerable resource for Aging Services in the future
48% also plan to pursue use of computers and the Internet and 47% plan to engage in activities for maintaining physical fitness
25% plan to spend some of their leisure time taking adult education classes
Membership and Participation in Organizations
20% or fewer are members of or take part in fraternal, community/neighborhood, school, labor or business organizations or associations
However, 40% report involvement in religious or church-related organizations in their communities. This is the highest level of civic engagement indicated by responders.
Housing and living Arrangements
90% of Boomer housing is owner-occupied; only ~ of these have a mortgage
80% live with a spouse and 31% have children/grandchildren living with them; 10% live alone
9% plan to move to another state at retirement; states of choice are Florida, the Carolinas and Maryland
nearly 3/4 will live within 25 miles of a child or family member in the future
Caregiving is common among Boomer cohort members.
5% have a parent or grandparent living with them
10% say they are caring for someone 65 and older not able to care for themselves
Communitv Resources
Senior and Community Centers can potentially play a central role in helping Boomers meet the challenges of coming retirement years. In this regard,
80% of Boomers know of these Centers in their communities and 55% express an interest in coming to them when they achieve age eligibility
Importantly for Center funding, 73% are willing to share the cost of services at the Centers, if they are affordable
More than one-half would like to know more about these Centers and the programs and services they offer
Health and Healthcare
There is both good and bad news from the sample of Boomers surveyed.
The good news:
About 75% say their health is now excellent or good; 90% have a regular physician they see when they need medical attention
And, then the not-so-good news:
30% report having an illness which restricts their activity and 35% have had financial problems in the previous year associated with healthcare costs!
only 27% will have employer-based health courage in retirement and the same portion expect to have to pay for healthcare themselves
8% report having no current coverage
Work and Retirement
Although 67% are currently employed at full-time jobs, only 23% expect to receive a private sector pension in retirement.
Also,
78% expect to have some personal savings or assets to draw on in retirement, but only 13% expect these to be their main source of retirement income
40% expect Social Security benefits to be the main source of income in retirement
30% expect household income in retirement to be $20,000 or less and an additional 27% expect it to be from $20,000 to $30,000
13% expect retirement income to be $50,000 per year or more
rural residents and women expect lower retirement incomes
Looking Toward the Future
Expressed Boomer confidence on a number of issues related to their retirement is remarkably low.
only 22% are confident of being able to manage healthcare costs
confidence in the availability of Medicare and Social Security is shared by only 28% of responders
36% are confident they will be financially secure and 39% that their pensions will be secure and there for them when they retire
Lastly, those fortunate Boomers who expect the highest income in retirement are also clearly more confident about the issues studied. Conversely, 57% of those expecting less than $30,000 per year are least confident.
Years of education completed in earlier years bear a strong relationship to expected income and confidence in the quality of a future retirement.
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