Only 8% of over 50s satisfied that politicians treat older people’s issues well

New research from Age Scotland has revealed a sharp increase in the number of older people feeling that life is getting worse and that they aren’t valued by society.

Ahead of the Scottish Parliament resuming after their summer break, Age Scotland believes that these findings could act as a “wake-up call” for politicians and is calling on MSPs and the government to give much more attention to older people’s issues and concerns.

The charity’s 2023 Big Survey identified that two thirds of people over the age of 50 don’t feel valued by society, up from 51% in 2021 to 66%, and more than half (56%) felt life in Scotland was getting worse for older people, up from 34% in 2021.

Age Scotland and Scotinform surveyed more than 4,100 over 50s covering every local authority area in Scotland and the research paints a worrying picture of the way older people feel they are regarded and portrayed in 2023.

Only 8% feel satisfied that decision makers and politicians treat older people’s issues with due consideration. Nearly 6 in 10 (56%) were not satisfied.

Just 3% felt that it was easy to have their voice heard by decision makers with most respondents (56%) feeling it was not easy.

The findings reflected how older people feel about life and society in Scotland in 2023 with some big swings in attitudes where it was possible to compare since 2021:

13% of older people feel valued by society (21% in 2021), 66% don’t feel valued by society (51% in 2021)
12% felt life was getting better for older people (25% in 2021), and 56% felt life was getting worse (34% in 2021)
3% felt it was easy to be heard by decision makers, 56% felt it was not easy.
3% of older people feel represented positively in the media.
16% optimistic about their future
8% feel optimistic for future generations/their grandchildren

The issues older people identified as most important to them included timely access to healthcare; reducing the cost of living; more affordable, accessible, energy efficient homes; improving opportunities for younger people; tackling loneliness and isolation; improving public services; and protecting the environment.

When asked what the First Minister’s priorities should be, the top two issues were social care and the NHS.

Age Scotland’s Interim Chief Executive, Katherine Crawford, said:

“Our research paints a grim picture of how older people in Scotland feel regarded in 2023, and at times made very tough reading.

“We undertook this work to get a snapshot of how older people feel about their lives and growing older in Scotland and it’s extremely disappointing that our research has shown a significant majority of them do not feel valued by society, represented in the media, or listened to by politicians or decision makers.

“A worrying trend we noticed since we conducted our survey in 2021 is a really negative downturn in how older people feel about life in Scotland right now.

“Older people have contributed in countless ways throughout their lives and continue to do so, yet far too many of them are spending their later years feeling unvalued and unheard.

“At a time when Scotland’s population is ageing and facing a growing number of serious challenges, it has been beyond disappointing that the Scottish Government stopped having a named minister for older people earlier this year. This is one of the many reasons why we have been campaigning for a Commissioner for Older People to act as an independent advocate to champion their voices and help to change how they feel.

“We hope our research is a wake-up call for politicians and decision makers to strengthen older people's voices and ensure they are considered in decisions made right across Government.”

The full report of The Big Survey will be published in mid-September.