Boomers at Midlife: The AARP Life Stage Study

How well do members of the baby boom generation think they're doing in middle age? To find out, AARP commissioned Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) to explore what the baby boomers - one of the largest and most path-breaking generations in American history - had to say about their lives, their hopes and their expectations for the future.

As boomers age into eligibility for AARP membership, the organization is increasingly involved in enhancing its understanding of the needs, interests and concerns of this generation. These regular surveys are designed to give them a platform for reporting how they are faring in various aspects of their lives, thus allowing AARP to respond to the unique dreams, desires and fears of the boomer generation as it ages.

Boomers participating in the study are asked to rate their current levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with - and short-term goals for - seven major areas of their lives: physical health, work or career, personal finances, religious or spiritual life, friends and family, leisure, and mental health.