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The State of Intergenerational Relations Today

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The State of Intergenerational Relations Today The State of Intergenerational Relations Today A Research and Discussion Paper James Lloyd October 2008 ILC-UK www.ilcuk.org.uk Made Possible by: The State of Intergenerational Relations Today Founded in 2000 as the International Longevity Centre – UK, the ILC-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. It develops ideas, undertakes research and creates a forum for debate. The ILC-UK is a registered charity (no. 1080496) incorporated with limited liability in England and Wales (company no. 3798902). ILC–UK 22-26 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TJ Tel. +44 (0)20 7735 7565 www.ilcuk.org.uk This report was first published in October 2008. © ILC-UK 2008 About the Author James Lloyd is Head of Policy & Research at the ILC-UK. He read Philosophy at University College London and has Masters degrees in Comparative Politics, and in Public Policy. He joined the ILC–UK in October 2005. His publications for the ILC-UK include A National Care Fund for Long-term Care and Retirement Capital and Online Social Networking. [email protected] ii The State of Intergenerational Relations Today About this Report This report is a research and discussion paper on the topic of intergenerational relations. It incorporates original research undertaken by the BMRB (British Market Research Bureau),1 and policy analysis and discussion on the wider topic of intergenerational relations. Acknowledgements This report would not have been possible without the generous support of BT 2 and Age Concern.3 This report has benefited from the comments of Primrose Musingarimi and Noreen Siba of the ILC-UK. All opinions expressed in the report are the author’s own and should not be attributed to any of the aforementioned organisations. 1 http://www.bmrb.co.uk 2 http://www.bt.com 3 http://www.ageconcern.org.uk iii The State of Intergenerational Relations Today Executive Summary Intergenerational relations at the societal level matter and as such, are a legitimate interest for policymakers. At a general level, social contact has significant health benefits, particularly for those who may be at higher risk of social isolation, such as men in retirement. More generally, strong and positive intergenerational relations can be identified as a key factor in: • The transmission and exchange of human capital within society. • The transmission of useful life-skills both up and down the generations. • The transmission of values, moral codes and social norms. • The reproduction and transmission of culture, history and identity. • The prevention and reduction of age-based prejudice and discrimination. • The formation and preservation of intergenerational solidarity at the societal level that underpins the intergenerational contract. • Maintaining the transmission and exchanges of knowledge and values between the generations that may be decreasingly occurring at the family level. However, a number of challenges to the functioning of intergenerational relations at the community and societal levels can be identified. Positive contact, interaction and communication between different generations may be affected by differences in physical and cognitive functioning among different age-groups, which leads to the occupation of separate physical spaces and engagement in different activities. In addition, psychological changes that occur throughout the life course may create differences in the behaviour of younger and older cohorts and affect how each views the world, their role and interaction with others. Differences in the socialisation and experiences of different cohorts during different life stages means that each cohort is shaped differently by prevailing changes in society, the economy and technology. Simply occupying different life stages will also affect the outlook, priorities and behaviour of different age-groups. Original survey research commissioned by the ILC-UK found that among a sample of respondents aged 16-65+, younger cohorts were more likely to perceive difficulties among older people in relating to younger people than older people themselves. Various socio-economic trends may be adverse to the functioning of intergenerational relations: • Increasing longevity, resulting in increasing spacing between the oldest and youngest members of society. • Internal migration associated with different life stages may potentially restrict opportunities for intergenerational interaction. • In addition to the ongoing socialisation experiences of different cohorts, the increasing speed of social, economic and cultural changes associated with globalisation and related cultural and technological change, potentially increases further the differences in the characteristics and experiences of different cohorts. • Fiscal pressures associated with demographic change may result in increasingly prevalent contests between different generations over the use of public resources, such as conflict over spending priorities and the use of public spaces. Original survey research commissioned by the ILC-UK found that the majority of respondents among a sample aged 16-65+ thought that old and young people today “live in separate worlds”. Large proportions of different age-groups were also found to believe that relations between old and young today are worse than in the past. A number of different approaches are available to policymakers seeking to improve intergenerational relations. Policymakers can seek to provide a better environment for iv The State of Intergenerational Relations Today intergenerational relations through the application of ‘inclusive’ approaches, such as ‘inclusive design’. Ongoing policy developments are already seeing this applied to: • The housing stock. • Neighbourhoods. • Public spaces. • Workplaces. More generally, there is scope to explore how the activities undertaken in inclusive spaces could themselves be more inclusive. In particular, policymakers could explore how the message of ‘age-diversity’ could be communicated more widely in local third-sector, voluntary and amateurs organisations and clubs. The internet is arguably the most ‘inclusive’ environment of all. Web-based platforms such as online social networking present multiple and cost-effective opportunities for advancing intergenerational relations that policymakers should explore. In addition, there is growing interest in the benefits of coordinating direct interaction among older and younger cohorts at the community level. Intergenerational practice (IP) has demonstrated the benefits of bringing different cohorts directly together. Although ‘age- based’, rather than ‘age-neutral’, the intergenerational aspects of IP are particularly suited to facilitating the kinds of intergenerational exchange and transmission of knowledge and values that many commentators and stakeholders identify as important. Formal evaluation of IP is required in order for policymakers to fully incorporate the tools that IP provides into wider policy measures to improve the functioning of intergenerational relations. More generally, the Government should strengthen the evidence base on intergenerational relations at the societal and community level. This could be undertaken through the application of survey instruments developed in fields such as educational gerontology. It could also be undertaken by making use of theory, methodologies and evidence developed across the human and social sciences in research into intergenerational relations at the family level. v The State of Intergenerational Relations Today Contents Executive Summary iv Chapter 1: Why do Intergenerational Relations Matter 1 Chapter 2: What is the Challenge? 9 Chapter 3: What is the Role for Public Policy? 21 Chapter 4: What are the Next Steps? 29 vi The State of Intergenerational Relations Today Chapter 1: Why do Intergenerational Relations Matter? Intergenerational relations matter. Individuals may define themselves as ‘young’, ‘old’ or somewhere in between, but positive contact, interaction and communication among individuals in different age-groups and different cohorts is important. It is an issue not just for individuals, families and communities, but for policymakers as well. Why is this case? This chapter reviews the reasons. Social Contact Social contact is good for you. This observation may seem obvious; yet, few realise just how powerful the effect of social contact can be. For example, research has shown that amongst the ‘oldest-old’, social contact with non-family members has a greater impact on mental well- being than their health status.4 In short, even when older individuals are suffering longstanding illness, their mental well-being can be as good as those who are in good health, if such individuals engage in social contact. Opportunities for social Successful Ageing and Social Interaction (2007) contact vary by life-stage. For example, for many Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine individuals, especially men, used population-level data to explore the interaction of social contact retirement is synonymous and mental well being. Their analysis found that older people with the with loneliness, and “best” mental ‘quality of life’ (QOL) showed physical QOL that was ultimately, depression, as similarly poor to those in the “worst” and middle categories of mental they are removed from the QOL. This finding suggests that individuals are able to ‘remain positive’ social structures and despite declining physical health; how we age mentally may not networks
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