A detailed study into the lives of today’s over 50s found that far from being stuck in a middle-aged rut, most are living life to the full.
The modern 50-something has sex every couple of days, research carried out via OnePoll.com has revealed.
According to the data, one in 10 say their sex lives are better in their sixth decade. It also revealed that they can regularly be found having a pint in the local boozer, enjoy eating out once a month and enjoy gigs as much as the younger generation.
They are also up-to-date with the latest and best TV shows and boxsets, such as Game of Thrones, and watch their favourite music artists at least four times a year.
But perceptions could be falling way short of the mark.
A fifth of 18 to 29-year-olds believe older people ‘never’ go out to gigs, and one in 20 think people over 50 simply don’t have sex.
Many over 50s also feel they are being misrepresented by brands.
Around one in four grumble at clothing brands for failing to represent their age group accurately, while a fifth believe the common depiction of middle age in advertising is totally wrong.
The beauty (14 per cent), music (16 per cent) and travel (12 per cent) industries are also among the sectors over 50s believe don’t believe represent them very well.
The study was commissioned by TUI UK as part of an on-going programme to fully understand its customer base.
A spokesman said, “We all have an idea of what we perceive over 50s do and think – and this stereotype is often informed by movies, TV and advertising.
“We know there’s a whole group of middle-agers who are energised adventurers and this latest study shows middle age is an active and social time of life.
“It’s a time where many have fewer responsibilities as children have grown up and flown the nest, as well as having more disposable income than they did when they were younger.
However, despite the research demonstrating the over 50’s are far from ‘old’, and if anything are up for a bit of action and adventure, more than 40 per cent believe those under 30 probably consider them to be ‘old’.
More than one in five think young people see them as unadventurous while 19 per cent think they are seen as ‘uninteresting’.
Those in this age bracket are also more likely to do tech-savvy things like watch YouTube videos on a tablet, than those below 30.
The study also found 16 per cent of 50-somethings regret not changing their career earlier in life, while one in four wish they’d worked harder at staying in shape and doing exercise in their younger years.
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In light of the findings, TUI UK is looking for spontaneous middle-aged adventurers for their new TUI Tours, including a couple, friends and a solo traveller to challenge perceptions of their age group in a project called ‘The Travel Diaries’, where they will test out a new, action-packed tour of South Africa, capturing their experience on film.
If you’d like to be part of the TUI Travel Diaries please enter the competition on Facebook www.facebook.com/TUIUnitedKingdom.
Competition closes 14th July 2019.
