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Increasing life expectancy means that after retirement from paid employment a decade of good-quality life should be a realistic expectation for most people in Britain. The research project will investigate whether this expectation is achieved, or whether enjoyment of good-quality life in early old age varies by social class and gender; and identify the past and present influences on an individual’s quality of life - it is expected that health and wealth will be important, but that other factors (such as social networks and access to public services) will be influential within the limits set by health/ affluence and illness/deprivation. The research aims will be addressed by using a unique dataset that has been assembled through previous ESRC funding, and which will be enhanced by the collection of new information. Some 300 people who were studied as children in 1937-1938 have been traced to their present locations and re-examined during early old age in 1997-1998. Prospective information is held on their health and social circumstances in 1937-1938 and 1997-1998, together with retrospective information about their lives between these dates. New information on the factors considered important to good quality of life in early old age will be collected by a postal questionnaire. Variations in this quality of life will be analysed in terms of both past and present circumstances.

Award/Grant Outputs and Documents
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