Over 55s Researched and Surveyed

• "Over 55s" is a huge demographic and as we are now living longer, it is growing.  There is a tendancy to split this group into 55-74, and 75 and older.

• There is a general perception that Over 55s are conservative and out of touch with pop culture.  This is more likely to reflect those over 75.  People forget that the Over 55s of today were the hippies and folkies of the 60s.

• Middle class Over 55s are young at heart and adventurous.  We travel widely, are computer literate and enjoy culture.  The older and poorer Over 55s on the other hand are struggling to meet the cost of care and everyday living.

• We have a wide range of television preference that reflect our diverse lifestyles.

• There are approximately 78 million Over 55s in the USA.

• Utah is the only state where Baby Boomers constitute less than 25% of the population. Why is that?

• In 2006 there were 7,918 Americans turning 60 each day!

• 25% of the UK population is Over 55 (15.5 million), and over 80% of the country's wealth is held by people aged 50 or over.

• Over 55s watch TV and read newspapers just about every day.  We are news-hungry.

• We have grown up in a changing environment - homosexuality legalized, color television introduced, fax machines, the internet, cable TV - hell, we survived Woodstock!!

• We challenge conventional roles and beliefs, and have the benefit of good educations to back our arguments.

• We don't accept what our doctors say as fact.  We research, challenge and get second opinions.

• Gardening is the number 1 hobby for US adults over 50.

• In 2025 the Over 55 population in China will be 525.8 million - attention marketers!

• By 2015 those over 50 will represent 45% of the US population

• One third of the US internet users (totalling 195.3 million) is aged Over 55

• We Over 55s are interested in health and fitness, but

• We have life-threatening diseases in common:  overweight and obesity, hear disease, diabetes, cancer.

• We love our children, but don't sacrifice our own enjoyment for the sake of leaving huge inheritances.

• Our hobbies and interests are varied, and we are prepared to spend what we can to pursue them.

• Travel is a favorite purchase for Over 55s, but we are looking beyond traditional destinations, and being more adventurous.

• Many Over 55s are working on a part-time basis - not only to fund our interests, but also to keep our minds active and to maintain social contact.

• We are great volunteers.

• Some of us raise our grandchildren.