Aussies remain positive about retirement years
14 Mar 2011
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retirement
Despite increasing talk about ‘longevity’ risk and the realisation that people will be living longer lives, Australians generally have a positive, active and responsible attitude towards retirement, according to a global survey on retirement conducted by GfK.
The AXA 2010 Retirement Scope survey revealed an impressive 95 per cent of working Australians saw their retirement years as a period in life they had to prepare for financially. Second only to Canada with 97 per cent and followed by the Czech Republic with 93 per cent, and the UK and Belgium with 92 per cent.
But beyond the need to prepare financially for retirement, working Australians also saw it as a time to dedicate to leisure, new activities and socialising.
Eighty-seven per cent of Australians surveyed saw retirement as a time to take care of themselves and an opportunity to get involved in group projects, while 83 per cent saw it as a time to start or create a new activity. Spending more time with relatives also rated highly, with 78 per cent of respondents agreeing.
Overall Australians were less focussed on the negative aspects of retirement, such as ill health and dependence (38 per cent), and more focussed on positive aspects of retirement, such as getting involved in new activities and having more time to themselves.
In general, the trend across all the countries surveyed was for people to put the greatest emphasis on preparing for retirement, seeing retirement as a time to take care of themselves and a time to spend with family.
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