Staying Fit
This telephone survey of San Antonio residents age 45-64, including Hispanics, was conducted to identify age-friendly community needs. Survey results were used to inform the public and community leaders of livability priorities.
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Pre-retiree San Antonians are largely satisfied living in San Antonio and few intend to leave in retirement. However, among those who are likely to leave there is a sense of San Antonio becoming too big and too congested, with insufficient resources (housing, jobs, roads, water) and high taxes. Proper planning for San Antonio’s growth is important to keeping future retirees in the city.
Key findings include:
- Topping the list of important community features according to 45 to 64 year old residents of San Antonio are: good health care facilities and services; safe streets; and community services that allow residents to age-in-place.
- Overall, the largest unmet community need is the availability of community services and supports that allow residents to age-in-place. Other salient needs are safe streets for all users; jobs and employment for residents age 50 and older; affordable housing for all income levels; and lastly good heath care services and facilities.
- Four in ten survey respondents say that in order to ensure a high quality of life for older residents, San Antonio’s leaders need to urgently address road maintenance, neighborhood safety and pedestrian safety. About one-third consider it urgent for the city to work on each of following: preserve parks and public green space; jobs and new business development; public transportation; and affordable housing.
- Among Hispanic residents, needs rank similarly with some distinctions including a higher relative importance of jobs and employment opportunities, and with additional identified needs for inter-generational activities and parks (rec centers) for all ages. Relative to total residents in this age cohort, there is also more urgency among Hispanics for more and better health care services and facilities to ensure a high quality of life for older residents.
This survey was commissioned by AARP Texas to inform community leaders on the livable community and age-priorities of San Antonio’s 45 to 64 year old residents. Telephone interviewing was conducted by Precision Opinion from November 18th to December 15th, 2014. Surveys were completed with a representative sample of 600 residents age 45 to 64, and an additional oversample to bring the total Hispanic sample size to 560. Interviewing was conducted in English and Spanish. The sample utilized RDD landline, listed landline, and cell phone records. Data in both of the samples were weighted by age and respective populations age 45 to 64 in San Antonio.
For more information, contact Angela Houghton at AHoughton@aarp.org or (202) 434-2261.
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