WESTPORT, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When asked to compare the current economy to similar situations in the past, 53% of Americans over the age of 60 said today’s economic conditions are worse than those they have experienced in the past, even though unemployment and inflation rates have been higher within the last 30 years. A new poll from the MetLife Mature Market Institute®, conducted by Harris Interactive®, reports that an overwhelming majority of this group is feeling the pinch in today’s current economy and that it has affected the way they spend their money, but not their plans for retirement.In Feeling the Economic Pinch: A MetLife Poll of Americans 60+, 87% of respondents said they are curtailing their spending; 70% are cutting back on essentials like food and transportation. Eighty-two percent are spending less on non-essentials like dining out and vacation. In addition, 17% report having had to provide more financial assistance to family and/or friends as a result of the current economy.
“There is no doubt that older Americans are being adversely affected by the current situation,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. “A closer look at the findings shows that women are tightening their spending habits more than men, and not surprisingly those who earn less are cutting back even more.
“While there have been serious economic downturns in the past, it is clear that this group of people over 60 feel particularly vulnerable during this time of their lives. Yet, it appears that they are not, at this point, changing their longer range retirement plans.” Of those who are working, 73% said they would not postpone their planned retirement date because of the current economy. Only 16% of all respondents are withdrawing or plan to withdraw more from their retirement funds than they originally planned.
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