1.
Understanding wellbeing in old
age across the world
Monday 31st March 2014
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

2.
Baroness Sally Greengross
Chief Executive
ILC-UK
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

3.
Chris Roles
Director
Age International
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

4.
Jessica Watson
Policy and Communications Manager
ILC-UK
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

5.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What is the relationship between
financial satisfaction and
happiness among older people?
An analysis using the World Values Survey
1981-2008
Jessica Watson, International Longevity Centre – UK
@ilcuk

6.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
This research
 Authored by David Hayes, PFRC
 Part of the ‘Financial dimensions of wellbeing in
older age’ project funded under SDAI
http://www.bris.ac.uk/geography/research/pfrc/esrc/

7.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
World Values Survey
 Global assessment of social, political and economic
attitudes and changes
 Containing around 65,000 over-50s
 84 countries over 5 waves (1981-2008)
 Data weighted to be nationally representative
 Descriptives are wave 5; Multilevel is all 5 waves

8.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
World Values Survey
Source:
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs/article
s/folder_published/article_base_56

9.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
The analysis
 How levels of financial satisfaction (FS) vary b/w
countries in the latest wave of data (2005-2008)
 Relationship b/w age and financial satisfaction
 Self-reported happiness by country; and by age
 Model individual and country predictors of FS and
happiness using multilevel modelling on all five
waves
 Identify common predictors

10.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
This research
Table 1: Satisfaction of all those aged 50+ with household’s financial situation, by country
Rank Country
Percentage
satisfied (%)
Rank Country
Percentage
satisfied
(%)
Rank Country
Percentage
satisfied
(%)
1 Switzerland 87 19
Trinidad and
Tobago
65 37 Ghana 45
2 Norway 85 20 Hong Kong 65 38 Iran 44
3 Sweden 84 21 United States 64 39 Chile 39
4 Finland 83 22 Taiwan 63 40 Egypt 38
5 Canada 83 23 Germany 62 41 Morocco 36
6 Netherlands 82 24 China 61 42 Poland 35
7 Great Britain 80 25 Uruguay 61 43 Romania 31
8 Malaysia 78 26 Andorra 60 44 Ethiopia 29
9 New Zealand 76 27 Jordan 60 45 Serbia 29
10 Italy 76 28 Turkey 59 46 India 28
11 Japan 73 29 Brazil 56 47 Burkina Faso 27
12 Mexico 72 30 Spain 54 48 Iraq 27
13 Australia 71 31 Slovenia 54 49 Ukraine 26
14 Thailand 70 32 South Korea 52 50 Russia 26
15 Vietnam 69 33 Guatemala 52 51 Rwanda 24
16 Argentina 68 34 Mali 47 52 Moldova 23
17 Indonesia 68 35 Peru 47 53 Bulgaria 16
18 France 65 36 Zambia 46 54 Georgia 12
Source: World Values Survey 2005-2008. Base is all individuals aged 50 and above. Percentages are rounded to
the nearest integer. Note that Cyprus and South Africa are omitted from this table due to small bases (>100).

11.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Financial satisfaction by country
 Swiss (87%); followed by Norway, Sweden and
Finland (85, 84, and 83%).
 FCCs dominate lower ranks - Georgia lowest
(12%); 6 of 10 countries with lowest FS are FCCs
 Africa - low FS (Rwanda, B. Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia)
 80% of Older Brits satisfied; only 66% under 50s

12.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Satisfaction with household financial situation
of those aged 50+ by age group
Figure 1: Satisfaction of all those aged 50+ with their household’s financial situation, grouped
by age
Source: World Values Survey 2005-2008. Base is all individuals aged 50 and above. Percentages are rounded to
the nearest integer.
53
56
57
54 54
59
60
48
50
52
54
56
58
60
62
50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+
Percentageinagegroupreportingbeing
financiallysatisfied
Age Group

13.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
This research
Table 2: Self-reported happiness of all those aged 50+, grouped by country
Rank Country Percentage
happy(%)
Rank Country Percentage
happy(%)
Rank Country Percentage
happy(%)
1
New
Zealand
97 19 Italy 87 37 Rwanda 76
2 Sweden 97 20 Jordan 87 38 Guatemala 75
3 Malaysia 96 21
South
Korea
86 39 China 75
4 Norway 96 22 Poland 86 40 Ghana 75
5 Canada 95 23 France 86 41 Ethiopia 73
6 Indonesia 94 24 Mexico 85 42 Chile 72
7
United
States
94 25 Argentina 85 43 Slovenia 71
8 Switzerland 93 26 Morocco 85 44 India 69
9 Netherlands 93 27 Turkey 85 45 Ukraine 65
10
Great
Britain
93 28
Trinidad
and
Tobago
83 46 Zambia 61
11 Australia 92 29 Taiwan 82 47 Peru 61
12 Japan 91 30 Germany 82 48 Georgia 56
13 Brazil 91 31 Egypt 81 49 Russia 53
14 Thailand 91 32
Hong
Kong
80 50 Serbia 50
15 Finland 90 33 Uruguay 80 51 Iraq 47
16 Vietnam 89 34
Burkina
Faso
80 52 Bulgaria 46
17 Andorra 89 35 Mali 77 53 Romania 44
18 Spain 88 36 Iran 76 54 Moldova 33
Source: World Values Survey 2005-2008. Base is all individuals aged 50 and above. Percentages are rounded to
the nearest integer. Note that Cyprus and South Africa are omitted from this table due to small bases (>100).

14.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Happiness by country
 More than nine-in-ten Britons happy (93%)
 New Zealand and Sweden ‘top’, 97% of people
 Similarities between Table 1 and Table 2 striking
 Of the 10 countries with highest FS, 8 also feature
among the ten ‘happiest’.
 7 countries are in the bottom 10 of both FS and
happiness

15.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Self-reported happiness of those aged 50+ by
age group
Figure 2: Self-reported happiness of all those aged 50+, grouped by age
Source: World Values Survey 2005-2008. Base is all individuals aged 50 and above. Percentages are rounded to
the nearest integer.
80
79
80
77 77 77
76
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80+
Percentageinagegroupreportingbeing
happy
Age Group

16.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Multilevel modelling
 Multilevel modelling used to analyse hierarchies
 Which here is individuals nested within countries
 Allows exploration of complex data structures
 Simultaneous analysis of different levels of the
dataset (i.e. at individual and country level)
 The models we run are two-level binomial logit
models, using McMC estimation

17.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Individual-level predictors of financial
dissatisfaction among over 50s
 50-54s 2* the odds of being dissatisfied (cf. 80+)
 Divorced = odds of 1.7; single = 1.3 (cf. married)
 Unemployed twice the odds of dissatisfaction
 Education a ‘continuous relationship’ with FS
 SR lower class 5* the odds of being dissatisfied
 Saving behaviour a highly significant predictor

18.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Country-level predictors of financial
dissatisfaction among over 50s
 After controlling individual-level characteristics:
 Lowest quartile of GDP 2.2*the odds (cf. highest)
 African countries 1.9*the odds of reporting FDS.
 Former Communist Countries 4*the odds of
reporting financial dissatisfaction (cf. W.Europe)
 Income inequality not a significant predictor

19.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Individual-level predictors of unhappiness
among over 50s
 Similarly to financial (dis)satisfaction, and when
controlling for other characteristics, survey wave,
employment status, marital status, education,
social class and savings behaviour are significant
predictors of happiness.
 No. of children and gender now significant (men
slightly more unhappy); age is not significant

20.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Country-level predictors of unhappiness among
the over-50s
 After controlling individual-level characteristics:
 Lowest quartile of GDP 2.2*the odds (cf. highest)
 Continuing similarities to model of FS, those in
European FCCs higher odds (3.6) of being
unhappy than those in the rest of Europe.
 Income inequality (Gini) again not significant.

21.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Table 3: Significant variables in predicting both financial dissatisfaction and unhappiness
Variable entered into
multilevel model
Significant predictor
of financial
dissatisfaction?
Significant
predictor of
unhappiness?
Significant predictor of
both financial
dissatisfaction and
unhappiness?
Wave  * *
Gender X  X
Age group  X X
Marital Status   
Employment Status   
Number of children X  X
Education   
Self-reported social class   
Savings behaviour   
Gini Income Inequality X X X
GDP per capita   
Geography   
*Borderline statistical significance

22.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Security and trust?
 Financial satisfaction rooted in…?
 Income in later life
– Able and enabled to work
– Filial piety
– Established and reliable pension schemes?

23.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Security and trust?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Pension index grade v Percentage over 50s financially satisfied
Overall index grade Percentage satisfied
Overall index grade from Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Grade 2013. http://globalpensionindex.com/2013/melbourne-mercer-global-
pension-index-2013-report.pdf
Satisfaction level from PFRC analysis of World values Survey 2005-2008

24.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Security and trust?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Pension index grade v Percentage over 50s financially satisfied
with line of best fit
Overall index grade Percentage satisfied Linear (Percentage satisfied)
Overall index grade from Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Grade 2013. http://globalpensionindex.com/2013/melbourne-mercer-global-
pension-index-2013-report.pdf
Satisfaction level from PFRC analysis of World values Survey 2005-2008

25.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Final thoughts
 Some good news - 55% of over 50s report being
satisfied with household financial situation
 Macroeconomic context
– African countries 1.9x more likely to report FS
– FCC 4x more likely (cf. W Europe)
 Self-categorisation – in socioeconomic class and
for financial satisfaction

26.
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Many thanks
Jessica Watson
Policy and Communications Manager
International Longevity Centre - UK
jessicawatson@ilcuk.org.uk
02073400440 Twitter: @ILCUK
Websites with all outputs:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/geography/research/pfrc/esrc/
www.ilcuk.org.uk

27.
Jane Scobie
Director of Communications and Advocacy
Helpage International
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

28.
Jane Scobie
Director of Advocacy and Communications
www.globalagewatch.org

29.
HelpAge International
Our vision is a world in which older people
fulfill their potential to lead
dignified, active, healthy and secure lives.
-

30.
Global AgeWatch Index
• First-ever measure of quality of life and well-
being of older people around the world
• Uses the latest data available from World
Bank, WHO, ILO, and Gallup World View
• Covers 91 countries representing 89% of the
world‟s older people
©Randomwire/Flickr

31.
Global AgeWatch Index -
overall rankings

32.
Story behind the Index, meet Katerina
• No formal education
• No pension
• Works very hard
• Ill but can‟t afford
healthcare
• Looks after young
children
• Invisible and
excluded because of
her age

33.
Older people are
missed out of
data collection
and analyses
They are
invisible to
policy makers
Who sees Katerina?

34.
Proportion of population aged 60+
in 2012 and 2050

35.
What will
make a
difference

36.
Why an Index?
• Start process
• To provide a framework that countries can use to
explore their response to ageing; goes beyond
economics, reflects priorities of people in older age
• To benchmarks countries and provide a tool for
CSO to measure progress and hold governments to
account.
• To generate national and global debate, share
experience
• Make a practical contribution to the “data
revolution” called for in the new Post 2015
development framework

37.
What concept underlies the Index?
• The Index captures multidimensional aspects of quality of
life and well-being of older people;
• The Index is built on human development principles which
put people and their empowerment at the heart of all social
and economic policies;
• Indicators and their groupings into several domains reflect
views of older people on issues most important to them
(from HelpAge/UNFPA‟s „Ageing in the 21st Century‟, 2012).

38.
Four domains and thirteen
indicators

39.
Global Rankings
Insufficient data coverage for
Africa, Middle East and Caribbean –
close to 100 countries missing

40.
Evidence generated by the Index
• History counts - progressive social welfare policies for
all their citizens across the life-course (Nordic European
countries)
• Money is not everything –„smart‟ age-focussed
spending needed. Poor countries have lessons on offer.
(Bolivia and Korea: Ensuring access to quality healthcare
has been vital in achieving good health outcomes)
• Ageing well requires action - social progress doesn‟t
guarantee the wellbeing of all (examples of Korea and
India)
• It’s never too soon to invest in ageing (Sweden and
Norway; also Mauritius, and southern Latin American
countries invested early)

41.
Regional results: Asia (selected countries)

42.
How the Index is being used
• 60,000 downloads, 3000 media hits 62
countries
• National research on quality of life older
people using micro level data of Kenya,
Korea, Bangladesh, China, India UAE,
Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Pakistan
• Latin America and ASEAN interest in creating
sub-regional Index
• Ministry of Health and Social Services of
Quebec - Index for the province
• CSO e.g. Korea, Bolivia, Colombia, India

43.
Partnerships
• World Bank: provision of data on poverty
among older people
• UN Women: work around data, advocacy and
research on older women
• Collaboration between Commonwealth Youth
Forum Index and Global AgeWatch Index to
ensure post-2015 Sustainable Development
report responds to all ages
• Human Development Report – how
capabilities, choices and freedoms
experienced in early life interconnect in later
life, how to build resilience to vulnerability
and peruse „sustained human progress‟
• Gallup World Survey – extending surveys

44.
Next steps
• Update and publish Index annually on 1
October, 2014 focus on income security
• Evidenced based report and policy briefs
based on the Index data
• Expand number of countries, disaggregate by
gender
• Develop stakeholder engagement programme
at national level, Index training, expand
national report cards
• Seek ways to improve index through analysis
of micro data and building of feedback –
Version 2.0 in 3-5 years time?

45.
Next steps
Please use it and help us create
a better world for everyone

46.
Thank you!

47.
Tim Fassam
Head of Public Affairs
Prudential
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

48.
Please follow the below link for information on the
Global Aging Preparedness Project
http://gapindex.csis.org/
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

49.
Panel Debate and Q&A
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

50.
Lunch
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

51.
Panel Debate
Rodd Bond, Director, Netwell Centre
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

52.
Improving the Well-Being of Older People
Considerations on a Capability Approach to ‘Ageing and Justice’.
31th March 2014
Understanding wellbeing in old age across the world:
lessons from across the ‘developed/developing’ country divide
Age International, PRFC, ILC-UK Debate
Rodd Bond mriai
Netwell Centre, Dundalk, Ireland

53.
Settlement Global economy
Demographic
change
Climate
change
Our
Future
Sustainability context Connection / belonging

54.
Resource
Reconfiguration
Service quality
Front-line Empower
organisational
edge (client) for
greater self-
management
Equitable access Financial balance
Based on Tony O’Brien slide (HSE)
at Trinity Sumer School 2012
Shifting the edge Public Service Reform

55.
Care & Cure
Private services
Family
1. Cross sectoral alignments
2. Pathway integration
Person
Public services
Community/Voluntary
empower
and connect
the citizen
3. Convergence over time
Shifting the centre: the citizen Person at the heart

56.
Learning Productive Leisure
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 10090
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 10090
Economics of longer living A changing lifecourse

57.
Connection:
Rural transport & urban mobility
Confidence:
Sense of safety & security
Empowerment:
Better access to better information
Alignment & Convergence:
Health, housing and care
Shareable places for all:
Recognise frailty
Lifecourse:
Inter-generational solidarity
Energy for change:
Older people as a resource
Buildings and outdoor spaces
Housing
Transport
Respect and inclusion
Social participation
Civic participation/employment
Information and communication
Community and health services
WHO: Age-Friendly Cities An integrated agenda for change

58.
Data sources – Gallop
doesn’t do it ?
Emerging measures / connectivity
Digital inclusion ?
Possibly conflicting
directions – employment
vs care – and choice ?
Data resolution – neighbourhood
level – issues hidden within cities?
Measures and metrics A look at Ireland

59.
Capability Approach
‘When evaluating well-being ( a flourishing life ) – the most important thing is to consider what people
are actually able to be and do’.
The Capability Approach focuses directly on the quality of life that individuals are
actually able to achieve. This quality of life is analysed in terms of the core
concepts of ‘functionings’ and ‘capability’.
•Functionings are states of ‘being and doing’ – ie well nourished, having
shelter, literate, …
•Capability refers to a set of valuable functionings that a person has effective
access to. Thus a person’s capability represents the effective freedom of an
individual to choose between different functioning combinations – between
different kinds of life – that he/she has reason to value.
Amartya Sen
Capability Set
(functionings
available to choose
from)
Personal ‘utilisation function’
(Depending on interpersonal differences; physiology,
and physical and social environment) – ability to convert.
Functionings
achieved
Resources
(Characteristics of
goods available)
Utility
(Subjective well-
being)

60.
We need a framework
• Our problems evaluating the implementation of existing and
innovative policies and practices (measures and indicators) ?
• Our problems framing a coherent agenda across older persons’
employment, inclusion, welfare, health, access and justice/rights ?
• What to do ?
– To enhance our well-being – quality of life
– Within resource constraints - effectively and sustainably
– Attractively, accessibly, safely – quality of environment
• How to govern / plan / collaborate / partner / co-design etc ….. (doing
it together) ?
• How to know were going in the right direction (information needs )?

61.
Panel Debate
Dr Jack Watters, Vice President of External
Affairs, Pfizer
Ken Bluestone, Policy Adviser, Age
International
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

62.
Panel Debate and Q&A
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing

63.
Understanding wellbeing in old
age across the world
Monday 31st March 2014
This event is kindly supported by Age International
#worldwellbeing