Age, they say, is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn't matter. And that’s precisely what Columbia Pacific Communities (CPC) found out in its ‘Positive Ageing Report’, an industry-first report focused on the elderly.

Launched on Tuesday ahead of World Senior Citizens’ Day (August 21), the report aims to understand the senior citizens’ changing aspirations, needs, and their view of ageing in the 21st century compared to the youth.

Contrary to popular belief, the Columbia Pacific Communities report found that senior citizens of today are far from retirement and instead focused on exploring new career avenues, pursuing their passions, and engaging in social good more actively.

According to the report, more than a quarter of respondents aged over 60 years identify themselves with their passions and interests compared to 22 per cent of millennials and Gen Z, 18 per cent from Gen X and 23 per cent of those aged between 46-60 years.

About 31 per cent of men over 60 years identify themselves with their careers compared to 19 per cent of women in that age group, while 30 per cent of women over 60 years believe their identity comes from their passions and interests as compared to 23 per cent of their male counterparts.

Active on social media platforms

Interestingly, the report also shows that elders are no lesser than their younger peers when making their presence on social media platforms. According to the report, 36 per cent of women over 60 years spend over four hours daily on social media, greater than millennial and Gen Z men (22 per cent) and more than double of millennial and Gen Z women (15 per cent).

More than two out of five respondents over 60 years agree with the statement – ‘Life begins at 60; no work, only leisure, these are the best years, after all!’ and nearly a third (31 per cent) of the respondents believe that it is only after 60 years that they would have all the time and the wisdom to achieve their ambitions.

The report, commissioned by the Columbia Pacific Communities, is based on face-to-face and telephonic interviews conducted by Innovative Research Services (India) Pvt. Ltd, with over 2,000 respondents older than 18 from Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. The respondents between 18 and 35 years are referred to as Gen Z and millennials, and those between 36 and 45 years as Gen X in the report.

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