Eurobarometer onderzocht solidariteit tussen generaties (en)

MEMO/09/206

Brussels, 28 April 2009

Eurobarometer survey on solidarity between generations

On the occasion of the first European Day of Solidarity between Generations, the European Commission has carried out an extensive survey on the relations between old and young. There seems to be a solid basis of confidence and understanding between the generations and the contributions of older people to society are widely appreciated. However, the survey also reveals strong support for policies and initiatives that would foster better relations between the generations and help older people remain active and autonomous.

Why is intergenerational solidarity important?

High birth rates after World War II led to what is often referred to as the baby-boom which lasted into the 1960s. The Commission's latest Demography Report ^[1] emphasises that these baby-boomers are now reaching their sixties and are beginning to retire from the labour market. This marks a turning point in the demographic development of the European Union. An ageing population is no longer something that will happen at some point in the distant future; it is starting now.

From now on, the population aged 60 years and above will be growing by 2 million people every year for the next 25 years. The growth of the working age population (15-64 years) is slowing down fast and will stop altogether in about six years; from then on, this segment of the population will be shrinking by 1 to 1.5 million people each year.

Societies and economies will have to adapt to this rapidly changing age structure, not just in the EU, but all over the world. The process of demographic ageing will certainly impact on the relationship between generations, and some fear increasing tensions between the generations. The Flash Eurobarometer on Intergenerational Solidarity examines EU citizens' opinions on the challenges of demographic ageing and its implications for the solidarity between generations.

What are the key results of the survey?

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  The vast majority of Europeans have a generally positive image of older people, with only 14% considering them to be a burden to society. This minority is largest among the elderly.
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  49% of Europeans believe governments should make more money available for pensions and care for the elderly.
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  However, they are more pessimistic about the reality: 58% believe governments will no longer be able to pay for pensions and care for older people in coming decades.
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  66% support the view that governments should make it easier for older people to continue working beyond the normal retirement age, if they so wish.
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  A large majority of Europeans (84%) consider that many frail elderly people cannot live autonomously because homes are not adapted to their needs. Two-thirds of Europeans feel that people who care for elderly relatives are let down by social services.
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  Europeans strongly acknowledge the contribution of older people to society, providing financial help for children and grandchildren and acting as volunteers. Their role as carers for family members is not sufficiently appreciated, say more than three-quarters of Europeans.

Are older people seen as a burden for society?

Across the EU as a whole, at least two-thirds of people reject the statement that older people are a burden on society: the total level of disagreement ranged from 95% in the Netherlands to 66% in Lithuania. Surprisingly, the oldest respondents (over 64) were most likely to consider themselves as a burden: they were twice as likely as the youngest to agree that older people are a burden on society (25% vs. 12%).

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This positive image of older people is also confirmed by the fact that more than two thirds of respondents do not share the view that companies which employ mostly young people perform better than those employing people from different age groups. Only in three countries (RO, CY, EL) did a majority feel that companies with young employees are doing better.

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Will ageing create tensions between the generations?

The vast majority of Europeans believe that governments must make more money available for pensions and care for the elderly. Almost half (49%) strongly agree with this statement and another third of the population (35%) tends to agree. There are no signs of a divergence of views between young and old: total agreement with this statement amounts to 80% among the 15-24 year-olds and 85% among the over-65s.

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However, more than half of Europeans (58%) also believe that governments will no longer be able to pay for pensions and care for older people in the coming decades. The middle aged groups tend to be most pessimistic.

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52% of Europeans fear that people in employment will be increasingly reluctant to pay taxes and social contributions to support older people. However, there are significant differences across countries, with people in Sweden and Denmark being most optimistic in this regard and the Portuguese and Germans most pessimistic.

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Can older and younger people agree on what society needs?

More than two thirds of Europeans tend to believe that young people and older people do not easily agree on what is best for society.

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… but only a minority of Europeans expect that, because there will be more older voters, political decision-making will take less account of the needs of young people (43% support this statement while 51% hold the opposite view).

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A majority of Europeans think that governments are spending too little on education and young people relative to older people (46% vs. 43% who disagree), but the difference is small. Responses tend to reflect the age of the respondents, with the youngest (15-24) feeling most strongly that they do not receive enough public spending (55% agreeing, 37% disagreeing). Above the age of 55, more respondents tend to reject rather than support the idea that spending on the young is too low. These results do not seem to suggest a strong divide between the generations. However, differences across countries are considerable.

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It is also interesting to note that Europeans do not perceive older people as an obstacle to pension reforms necessitated by ageing. A majority of Europeans believe that older people accept the need for major pension reforms to ease the burden on working-age people (48% agree, 39% disagree). This view is most strongly held by the young (49% of people aged 15-24) and the over-55s (around 50%).

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Can older people contribute more to society?

Older people contribute to society in a variety of ways: they offer help to their children and grandchildren, they work as volunteers and they support economic activity as consumers. The Eurobarometer survey found a strong recognition of these contributions, although most Europeans also feel that the caring role of older people is not sufficiently appreciated. However, the EU averages presented below mask considerable cross-country differences.

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One important way in which the ageing baby-boomers can make a contribution to society – and to the sustainability of pensions and care systems – is by staying in employment longer than their predecessors. Most Europeans (66%) support the view that governments should make it easier for older people to continue working beyond the normal retirement age, if they wish. Support is similarly strong in all age groups.

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An enhanced contribution to society through increased employment of the ageing baby boomers might be made more difficult by the fear that older workers might be taking away jobs from younger people. 56% of respondents believe that this is the case. There are significant differences across countries, but there are only four countries where most people appear to reject the idea that old and young people are competing for the same jobs.

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How can we help older people contribute to society?

Most Europeans do not believe that their governments are doing enough to promote a better understanding between the young and the old; indeed only 27% of respondents said that they thought their government was doing a good job. Lithuania, Belgium, the Netherlands and Malta were the countries where the perception of the government was most positive in this regard.

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Across the EU, there is strong support for local authorities to help associations and initiatives fostering stronger relations between young and older people, for public centres where older volunteers are helped to find opportunities for volunteering matching their skills and wishes, and for schools promoting better relations between the generations.

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What needs to be done to prevent older people from becoming a burden?

Autonomous living is both an aspiration of older people and it prevents them from having to rely on their relatives or on expensive care institutions. A large majority of Europeans (84%) consider that many frail elderly people cannot live autonomously because homes are not adapted to their needs.

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Another widely perceived problem is the lack of sufficient social services to support frail older people so that they can stay in their own home. Only about one third of Europeans believe that there are sufficient such services in their country, compared to 59% who disagree with this view. There are only five countries where a majority of the population thinks that the supply of services is sufficient.

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Support for carers is also seen as insufficient by a clear majority of respondents in all but three countries. Only one quarter of Europeans feel that people who have to care for older family members at home receive good support from social services.

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See also IP/09/651

Results of the Flash Eurobarometer on Intergenerational Solidarity

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm

[1] http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=419&furtherNews=yes