Researchers at Seven Seas surveyed 2,000 British adults about . Answers varied by respondent age. But on average, people said someone is considered old at 69, the Daily Mail reports.
That’s not great news for celebrities who are that age now, like Tom Hanks, Kim Cattrall, or David Copperfield.
On the other hand, it’s not all bad: earlier studies showed old age can start as early as 62.
What else the survey revealed
- A quarter of respondents don’t expect to have many relatives or friends left in old age.
- About 27 percent think they won’t be healthy in old age and that they’ll have few reasons to feel joyful.
- A significant portion of Generation Z respondents (born 1995–2010) say people over 50 struggle to keep up with technology.
- Zoomers tend to assume people over 50 are still desirable job candidates. Baby boomers (born 1946–1964) strongly disagree.
What the experts say
“If 69 really is the new threshold for old age, we need to take care of our future health now, not later,” said Donna Bartoli, a healthy-lifestyle expert, commenting on the study.
Meanwhile, Katherine Crowshaw, director of the organization Age Without Limits, noted: “We often see a real anxiety in people’s ideas about and getting older, and that anxiety shows up quite early.”
According to Crowshaw, whose work focuses on highlighting the harmful effects of ageism, children today are buying anti-aging cosmetics as young as ten. That’s a direct result of the same cultural pressure.
Her colleague Harriet Bayliss added, “If you oversimplify ageism, you might assume young people will be dismissive of older adults. But we see that age-based discrimination can affect people of any age.” She said even members of Generation Z face situations where their abilities are judged solely by how old they are.
That’s why experts say everyone, regardless of age, needs to be able to recognize ageism and push back against it.
What other studies found about when old age starts
A recent survey of 4,000 people of various ages showed baby boomers think old age begins at 67. But their children and grandchildren insist it starts much earlier.
Generation Z respondents said cognitive decline begins at 62, and trouble adapting to technology begins at 59. They also said that by 56 a person no longer seems young, even if they’re wearing the trendiest clothes.
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