What is positive ageing?

Australians are living longer and ageing better.

More than 4.2 million of us - 16 per cent of the population - are over 65, and that figure is expected to reach 23 per cent by 2066. Our life expectancy spent in full health is also increasing, which means the persistent stereotypical ideas about older people - and the language we use to talk about getting older - are more and more out of step.

To change that narrative, we need to understand what ageing today really looks like, and what it will look like in 10, 20 or 50 years.

Drawing on research about health ageing and established healthy ageing frameworks, Bolton Clarke's Ageing Well Report 2024 asks how do Australians feel about ageing? What will we need to find joy and purpose as we age? And what does that mean for the services we need - at every age - to ensure people have the best opportunities to age well?

We surveyed 2000+ people across Australia to explore their ideas on ageing across themes including attitudes to older people and to growing older, plans for work and retirement, hopes and fears and how well-prepared Australia as a society is to support an ageing population.

Their responses tell us that how we value older people - and what ageing means to us - is changing and that helping Australians live positively is a lifelong process.

Key findings

• Attitudes to older people: 91 per cent agreed society can learn from the experiences of older people BUT only around one third thought Australians respect older people in practice. Those aged 25-45 were most optimistic about attitudes to older people, while only around one quarter of over-65s agreed older Australians were respected.
• Attitudes to ageing: Across all age groups, the greatest fear about ageing was losing physical health. The second top response for over-65s was losing independence, while for those aged 24-44 it was losing mental or cognitive health. Respondents aged 25-74 were most likely to look forward to not having to work or having greater choice around work in older age, with having more time to focus on health the top response for over-75s.