- Tenth annual 100@100 survey polls
10-year-olds in addition to 100-year-olds, finds disagreement on
aging but surprising common ground on the importance of family,
role models and going to the dentist
- More than half of centenarians do not
“feel old;” on average, they feel more than two decades younger
than they are, and 25 percent say a positive attitude is the most
important factor for staying healthy
- Betty White tops centenarians’ list as
most desired dinner guest; 10-year-olds prefer Taylor Swift
As the “graying of America” continues in the United States with
nearly 84 million Americans expected to reach age 65 or older by
2050, new data from UnitedHealthcare shows that the definition of
“old” depends on who you ask. The 10th annual UnitedHealthcare
100@100 survey finds that 60 percent of centenarians say they do
not feel old – and those who do, say they did not start feeling old
until age 87, on average. Ten-year-olds, however, say people start
to get old at age 46, on average.
UnitedHealthcare’s annual 100@100 survey polls 100 centenarians
each year to examine their attitudes and opinions on health,
family, likes and dislikes, and more. This year, to mark the 10th
anniversary of the survey, UnitedHealthcare also polled 100
10-year-olds to offer a comparison between younger and older
Americans. UnitedHealthcare is the nation’s largest business
dedicated to the health and well-being needs of seniors and other
Medicare beneficiaries, serving more than 15,500 of the more than
50,000 centenarians nationwide through its portfolio of Medicare
plans.
When asked what age they truly feel, more than half (52 percent)
of 100-year-olds say they feel younger than their actual age. On
average, centenarians report feeling more than two decades younger
at 79 years old. Reflecting back, on average centenarians felt:
- the most attractive at age 31;
- the most energetic at age 34;
- the happiest at age 44;
- the healthiest at age 46;
- the wisest at age 49; and
- the most content at age 56.
Come On, Get Happy: Centenarians Say a
Positive Attitude and Health are LinkedKeeping a
positive attitude is the most important factor in staying healthy,
according to a quarter of the centenarians surveyed. The next most
popular answers are eating healthy (21 percent), exercising
regularly (10 percent), and keeping busy (9 percent).
Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of 100-year-olds say they see
themselves as being very positive people – which makes them more
optimistic than the 10-year-olds surveyed. Just 44 percent of
10-year-olds say they are very positive people, but the younger
generation may catch up: nearly half of centenarians (47 percent)
say it gets easier to maintain a positive attitude with age.
“Year after year, we hear from centenarians that there is a
correlation between healthy aging and a healthy mindset,” said
Rhonda Randall, D.O., chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare
Retiree Solutions. “It’s a good reminder for us all to take care of
our mental, emotional and social health -- in addition to our
physical health.”
Family is Top Priority for Young and
OldWhen it comes to fueling positivity, many
centenarians and 10-year-olds look no further than their closest
connections: 11 percent of centenarians and 31 percent of
10-year-olds say their friends and family are key to maintaining a
positive attitude. Almost half of centenarians (45 percent) and 40
percent of 10-year-olds say they would rather spend time with their
family more than anyone else in the world.
Both groups also make sure to keep in touch with family members
that live outside their homes, as 83 percent of centenarians and 84
percent of 10-year-olds speak with extended family on a daily or
weekly basis.
When asked who they thought of as a role model growing up,
nearly half of centenarians (46 percent) chose their parents over
other family members, friends, teachers and celebrities. Today’s
10-year-olds also cite their parents as role models, with 71
percent placing their parents at the top of the list. Mom is most
popular, as each group is twice as likely to name their mother
rather than their father as a role model.
Agree to Disagree: Betty vs. Taylor,
the Value of Money and Going to the DentistFor the
seventh straight year, centenarians were asked which celebrity or
public figure with whom they would most like to have dinner. This
year, Betty White is back on top: more than 6 in 10 centenarians
(63 percent) prefer the Golden Girl, who fell behind President
Obama last year, and are least likely to invite Taylor Swift and
Jennifer Lawrence (9 percent each), as most centenarians don’t know
who they are (66 percent and 75 percent, respectively). Swift,
however, is the most popular dinner guest choice for 10-year-olds,
with more than two-thirds (67 percent) citing her as their top
pick.
The survey posed a number of questions on childhood to both
centenarians and 10-year-olds, and found some of the greatest
differences between the two groups related to their experiences
with money. More than 8 in 10 centenarians (81 percent) did not
have an allowance as a kid, and of those who did (18 percent), more
than half (56 percent) earned a dollar or less per week. Turns out,
pockets are deeper for today’s youth, as 48 percent of 10-year-olds
receive a weekly allowance, and more than two-thirds of them (80
percent) say they earn between $5 and $20. Similarly, going out to
eat with family was either a nonexistent or rare occasion for
centenarians when they were young (67 percent), compared to more
than half of 10-year-olds (56 percent) who go out to eat with their
family at least once a week.
When it comes to similarities between the two age groups – it
turns out going to the dentist is a timeless ordeal for children.
Centenarians’ greatest dislike as a kid was going to the dentist
(24 percent), and their younger counterparts still feel the same
way: 22 percent of 10-year-olds dislike most going to the dentist
today.
For more information, including a video and executive summary of
the survey results, visit www.UHC.com/100.
About the SurveyPenn Schoen
Berland interviewed 100 centenarians (U.S. residents 100 years old
or older, or who will be turning 100 years old this year) by phone
and 100 10-year-olds (U.S. residents currently 10 years old)
online, with the permission of their parents, between Feb. 19 and
Mar. 4, 2015. Centenarians were identified using a list of
pre-identified respondents in that age category. Ten-year-olds were
selected via a randomly populated sample of parents derived from
probability methods, with pre-identified age preferences (for their
children). The margin of sampling error for centenarians is plus or
minus 9.8 percentage points for a result of 50 percent at the 95
percent confidence level. The margin of sampling error for
10-year-olds is plus or minus 9.8 percentage points for a result of
50 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. The margin of
sampling error is higher and varies for results based on
sub-samples.
About
UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping
people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health
care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and
sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company
offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for
individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and
their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care
professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities
nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and
well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at
www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
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UnitedHealthcareBetsy Chin, 952-931-6119betsy.chin@uhc.com
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