These four walls...Americans 45+ talk about home and community

Americans not only buy houses in which they settle down, they overwhelmingly want to stay in their own homes as they age. Even if they need help caring for themselves, older Americans prefer receiving services that allow them to stay in their current home. In order to help people achieve the goal of aging in place, this national AARP study identifies the home features, community characteristics, and community services age 45+ Americans consider important to them in their later years. It also examines the extent to which they currently have these factors and presents a gap analysis indicating areas for improvement.

A segmentation analysis identifies six attitudinal groups based on characteristics that drive how people prepare for their future housing needs. The insights from this analysis suggest different approaches for developing educational and social marketing materials targeted to each attitudinal segment.

Telephone interviews of 2,001 age 45+ Americans in January 2003 were conducted and the report prepared for AARP by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, Inc. For more information, contact Linda L. Barrett at 202-434-6197. (116 pages)