Two years after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, AARP looks back at its survey research chronicling the challenges and resiliency of Americans age 50-plus.
The pandemic has heightened caregiver strain.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on caregivers: Half said the pandemic made caregiving harder, with younger caregivers more likely to say so.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had little effect on one’s thinking about independent living, with more than six in 10 (62%) thinking about the topic about the same now as two years ago.
Many adult caregivers age 18-plus who also hold down jobs have appreciated accommodations made by their employers — and they hope that flexibility continues.
Older Americans are experiencing a variety of financial concerns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including having enough money to pay bills, managing health care costs, absorbing cost of living increases, and saving for retirement.
Among those experiencing [financial] insecurities, two in three (66%) say their experiences were due to, or worsened by, the COVID pandemic.
New communications technologies combined with the anxieties and stresses caused by the pandemic have created a perfect environment for fraud, scams, and security breaches.
As of spring 2021, nearly half of adults age 50-plus said their ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle over the past year was more difficult.
While half of adults age 50-plus said the time they spent exercising stayed the same, a quarter said it had decreased since the pandemic started.
Adults age 50-plus are resilient, and two-thirds (67%) of them say they have started or restarted doing an activity to improve their physical, mental, or emotional health since the pandemic.
Pandemic disruptions mean many older adults still haven’t gotten needed health care.
Adults age 40-64 blame the COVID-19 pandemic for making it harder to afford health care for their families, with those ages 40–49 finding it the most challenging.
Telehealth behaviors formed during the pandemic appear to be here to stay.
Transgender and nonbinary participants are more likely to have ever used telehealth for themselves (73%) and are more likely than others to report they will continue to use telehealth postpandemic (74%).
The COVID-19 pandemic has had complex effects on the emotional and mental health of older adults. For example, many often experienced joy and stress simultaneously, with about half of adults ages 50–80 saying they felt a lot or some of both.
When asked about mental health, most adults age 50-plus said their mental health is very good. However, when asked about specific emotional health measures, half said they have been bothered with anxiety and/or having little interest or pleasure in doing things, and a third said they have been feeling depressed.**
There is an intense refocus on strengthening connections with friends and family, especially for those who saw negative effects of COVID-19.
More than half (52%) of adults over 50 have known someone personally who passed away or became seriously ill due to COVID-19.
Even those who did not know someone who passed away or became seriously ill due to COVID-19 also report social connection and quality time with loved ones now being more important in their life.
During COVID-19, older adults relied on technology to maintain some sense of normalcy and social connection. And while some aspects of day-to-day life have started to return to normal (going to the grocery store, eating out, etc.), some tech behaviors formed during the pandemic appear to be here to stay.
Travelers age 50-plus are more optimistic about travel in 2022 than they were in 2021, and they plan to be big spenders.
As COVID-19 continues to impact today's economy, workers are making decisions about work, their career, working from home vs. working in-person, caregiving, and whether they want to continue working or stop working altogether.
One in five adults age 50-plus has experienced an employment disruption during the pandemic (defined as a reduction in work hours, a reduction in salary or pay, being furloughed or laid off, or losing a job).
The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread impact on midcareer and older women workers.
43% of women entrepreneurs say the COVID-19 pandemic was a motivating factor for establishing their own business.
Of those who have retired within the past three years, 42% say that the pandemic had at least some influence on the age at which they retired. Interestingly, among adults who have not yet retired, a similar share (41%) say that the pandemic has influenced their expected retirement age.
35% of long-term unemployed adults 50+ cited concerns about working during pandemic as a reason for delaying searching for a new job.
(69%) of those who chose to retire, after becoming unemployed during the pandemic, fault the pandemic for their unemployment.