Less than half of Europeans concerned about the ageing population, EU survey shows 23.01.2012
Workplace age discrimination is the most widespread form of age discrimination with one in five citizens having personally experienced or witnessed it. This is a finding of a new Eurobarometer survey presented by the Commission to mark the start of the 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity of Generations.
However, the survey results show that age discrimination is less common in access to education and training and leisure with only around one in ten having experienced or witnessed each.
The Eurobarometer survey covers five areas: overall perceptions of age and older people; older people in the workplace; retirement and pensions; voluntary work and support for older people and an age-friendly environment.
According to the results of the survey only about four out of ten Europeans (42%) are concerned about the ageing population. In addition, although EU15 citizens are more likely to be aware of the ageing population, they are also less concerned about the prospect than NMS12 (40% vs. 49%).
Lack of opportunities to retire gradually, exclusion from training and negative perceptions of older people among employees are perceived to be the main obstacles stopping people aged 55 years and over from working.
Respondents feel that the most useful contributions from government would be financial remuneration to carers (44%) followed by greater flexibility at work in terms of flexible working hours (38%) and being able to leave one's job temporarily (35%).
In the course of this survey, 31,280 respondents aged 15 and above were interviewed between September and November 2011.
