Maintaining good health looms large among older adults who say it is the biggest factor in achieving their goals in retirement.
In a new survey by UnitedHealthcare, nearly 70% of Americans ages 62 and older said physical health is most important to them as they age, followed by cognitive health (16%), social health (13%) and financial health (6%). While most respondents say they are feeling good and being proactive to maintain or improve their health, nearly all are worried about ending up sick or hospitalized.
Additional top goals for retirement years include recreation, socialization and meaningful work. The findings suggest that a new generation of retirement-age Americans look at their retirement years not as a time to relax and retire, but as a time to dive into their passions and hobbies, and even start a new type of employment.
According to the survey results, respondents said the next stage of their lives is a time for them to:
- Seek new experiences. Among those who have goals for retirement, many hope to enjoy extended travel (45%), achieve a fitness-related goal (38%) and get more involved in their community (26%).
- Be healthier. Living a healthy life can mean different things – nearly 70% reported starting a new routine to make themselves feel healthier, such as a new diet (40%), fitness routine (34%) or finding volunteer opportunities (11%).
- Be social. 75% of respondents host or attend social gatherings each month. Among those who are socially active, they attend, on average, five social gatherings per month.
- Keep working. 67% have not re-entered the workforce since retirement. Yet, of those who have, 50% wanted to work again to have something on which to focus their energy, while the remaining 50% felt they needed to generate a source of income.
“More than 10,000 people turn 65 each day, and they’re bringing a fresh approach to this phase of life,” says Ben Kehl, vice president of member experience, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. “We have a unique opportunity to help these people forge a new path and redefine aging.”
UnitedHealthcare’s survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults, ages 62 or older, between March 27 and April 3, 2019, using an email invitation and an online survey.
