BOAZ Annette, HAYDEN Carol, BERNARD Miriam.
Attitudes and aspirations of older people: a review of the literature.
Great Britain. Department of Social Security, 1999.
Context
This report presents a review of existing literature on the attitudes and aspirations of older people, focusing on UK literature produced during the last ten years. It forms the first stage of a programme of research, commissioned by the Department of Social Security, and carried out by The Local Government Centre, The University of Warwick, to inform the work of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Older People. The second stage of this research consisted of a qualitative study of the attitudes and aspirations of older people which is published in a companion volume (Research Report No. 102) titled 'Attitudes and Aspirations of Older People: a qualitative study'.
Method
This descriptive review focuses on literature from 1988 to 1998. The review identifies quantitative and qualitative research on the attitudes and aspirations of older people. For this research older people were identified as those aged 50 years and over, although the studies included often focus on specific age groups within this, such as those who have reached state pension age (currently 65 for men and 60 for women). The search was carried out in several complimentary ways. A computer and personal search of published material was used as a basis for the review. Databases of unpublished literature were also searched. The researchers also wrote to those researchers and practitioners who are known in the field and asked for copies of yet unpublished research and papers. The literature was reviewed paying particular attention to consensus and inconsistencies in outcomes between the different studies. The main reason for excluding papers were that the research was not UK based or the study was not concerned with the attitudes of older people themselves. This report does not attempt to review in detail the methodologies of the included studies. However, methodology has been taken into account when decisions were made as to whether or not, and to what extent, papers were included in the review. Sixty-eight papers were identified for inclusion in the review.
Contents
The first chapter contains a brief introduction to the research sources, to the approach used in the review and to some of the key methodological issues. The report then addresses the attitudes and aspirations of older people related to the themes identified by the Inter-Ministerial Group, which are active ageing, health and social care, and consultation and involvement. Each chapter discusses the literature identified by the review in relation to a theme. They also signpost readers to a selection of relevant reviews, literature and to ongoing programmes of work, although these are not discussed in detail. The majority of the research included in the review and in the signposting sections is held in the Centre for Policy on Ageing (CPA) Library in London. Each chapter identifies gaps in the current literature and conclude with a summary of the results. The final chapter discusses three cross-cutting themes: participation, independence, and diversity. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the coverage of the research. Gaps identified were used to focus the qualitative phase of the research. There are 141 pages of data extraction sheets in the appendix. These give details of the publication, the research question, study design, research tools and results.
Conclusion
The current research should inform the content of national surveys to ensure that appropriate and relevant questions are asked of older people. There is also scope for further qualitative research which values the contribution of older people, adds meaning to quantitative results and allows for more in-depth exploration of areas of interest.
113 references
contains details of 100 other research reports available from the Department of Social Security.