Citizens in Resilient European Societies are Happy Old

Abstract

European citizens become happy old, when they live in resilient societies. Objective: A happy old population may be seen as a major challenge worldwide. However, ageing of the population is often seen as a major problem. Besides, old people are not happy per se. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis, that in resilient countries citizens have a higher life expectancy and a higher overall life satisfaction, when old, as compared to less resilient countries. Methods: This cross-national study collected data from 25 European countries in 2016 using data set of Eurostat and the European Social Survey. Life expectancy at birth and overall satisfaction with life of citizens 65 years and over are used to assess ‘happy old’. Resilience is assessed by 20 national indicators, including shared values and feelings on equity, trust and social cohesion of citizens and governmental investments in social protection and health care. Results: Principal Component Analysis shows four resilience components: ‘trust and secure’, ‘following rules’, ‘equity’ and ‘protection and care investment’. Citizens become older and are – when old – more satisfied with life, when living in countries where citizens indicate they have trust in institutions and fellow citizens and feel secure, where governments invest in social protection and health care, and where citizens state it is important to follow rules, to be equally treated, to help each other, and to understand different people. Discussion: This study is one of the first, which uses the concept resilience to understand which national characteristics may explain successful ageing. The results show that happier and older citizens live in resilient countries. Assessing resilience is still a matter of scientific dispute. The way resilience components are assessed in this study is promising and theoretically based. Moreover, these components are in line with indicators used in international documents and may be used for future studies on resilient societies. The way resilience is assessed as well as the results may not only be applied to nations, but also to communities and institutions.