'The sunny', 'victims' and 'on easy street' – these are the three categories into which a recent survey divides Finns aged 50–75, based on their attitudes towards work and life.
The demanding modern world is a source of everyday joy and satisfaction but also disappointments and pessimism.
Quarter are sunny
The 'S-50' survey reveals that one quarter of the target group are sunny - pleased with and have a positive attitude towards their lives. 85 percent of sunny people consider themselves very or relatively happy, and only nine percent of them would like to retire, because they feel undervalued in working life. On the contrary, nearly three quarters of the sunny have retired or intend to retire later than the usual pension age.
The sunny do not want any significant changes to their lives; they are pleased with the present.
On easy street in retirement
Nearly one third of the respondents in the survey target group feel that they are on easy street. These people are characterised as amiable, passive and adaptable individuals.
Four fifths of them are pensioners.
Age strengthens individuals' attitudes towards life
Such external factors as retirement, domicile, the level of education and vocation separate the categories formed in the survey only to a little extent. Each individual's general attitude towards life is decisive, and differences between various generations in upbringing, for example, contribute to this.
The basic attitude remains unchanged throughout life and even strengthens over the years. Therefore the attitudes of older people can be as different as revealed in the S-50 survey, which presents society and the surroundings with many kinds of challenges.
A victim experience is surprisingly common
The many demands of modern society are reflected in that the largest category among Finns, as the survey revealed, is the one called 'Victims', which covers as many as 45 percent of all respondents. Only 14 percent of them is engaged in cultural activities, for example, compared with 28 percent in the category of the sunny.
Nearly two thirds of the victims do not consider their work rewarding, and have therefore retired or intend to retire earlier. The main reasons for retirement include their experience of undervaluation at work, brought by age, and impaired health. The same percentage have a negative attitude towards a rise in retirement age, compared with 47 percent of all respondents opposed to the rise.
Every third Finn is over 50 years
There are currently 1,780,000 Finns aged over 50. The survey, which had 900 respondents aged from 50 to 75, was carried out by Redera Oy, a business management consulting company, in Februray–March 2010, while some data was also collected by Taloustutkimus Oy, a market research house.
