Post by jeffolie on Dec 25, 2012 12:37:28 GMT -6
Naps, family: live to 100 ?
The below piece falsely presents the survey findings as the 'secrets' to living to 100 years old. The opinions and finding are very interesting.
" ... Your chances of reaching age 100 could be better than you think — especially if you get some additional sleep and improve your diet. ... U.S. seniors who make it to their 100th birthdays tend to credit social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as keys to successful aging.
" ... UnitedHealthcare, under the Evercare brand, first
surveyed centenarians in 2006 to provide insight into
one of the fastest-growing segments of the population.
Since then, the company has conducted the 100@100
survey annually to
my jeffolie view: the secrets for current, average, the most common American to living a long life remain secrets .... the usual and politically correct answers resulting from the survey provided good entertainment value as a human interest story ... the opinions of the elderly most likely are not very cutting edge medical, psychological accurate given their fading minds.
================================
What baby boomers need to live to 100
By Glenn Ruffenach | MarketWatch – Sat, Jun 23, 2012 Yahoo! editors have selected this article as a favorite of 2012. It first appeared on Yahoo! Finance in June and was one of the most popular stories of the month. Readers pointed out that living a long life can be a mixed blessing if you outlive all your loved ones. "My Dad lived to 103," said user Don C. "When [asked] what he attributed his long life [to], he replied 'Just bad luck.'"
Your chances of reaching age 100 could be better than you think — especially if you get some additional sleep and improve your diet.
U.S. seniors who make it to their 100th birthdays tend to credit social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as keys to successful aging.
Research from UnitedHealthcare looks at centenarians and baby boomers, asking the former about the “secrets of aging success” and evaluating whether the latter are taking the necessary steps to celebrate a 100th birthday.
The primary findings: Many boomers are embracing lifestyles that could lead to a long and rewarding life — with two exceptions. More than seven in 10 centenarians — 71% — say they get eight hours or more of sleep each night. By contrast, only 38% of boomers say they get the same amount of rest. And when it comes to eating right, more than eight in 10 centenarians say they regularly consume a balanced meal, compared with just over two-thirds (68%) of baby boomers.
The report — “100@100 Survey” (view PDF at UnitedHealthGroup.com)
— begins with some startling numbers. As of late 2010, the U.S. had an estimated 72,000 centenarians, according to the Census Bureau. By the year 2050, that number — with the aging of the baby-boom generation — is expected to reach more than 600,000. Meanwhile, an estimated 10,000 boomers each and every day — for the next decade — will turn 65.
How to reach 100? Centenarians point to social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as some of the keys to successful aging. Among surveyed centenarians, almost nine in 10 — fully 89% — say they communicate with a family member or friend every day; about two-thirds (67%) pray, meditate or engage in some form of spiritual activity; and just over half (51%) say they exercise almost daily.
In each of these areas, baby boomers, as it turns out, match up fairly well. The same percentage of boomers as centenarians — 89% — say they’re in touch with friends or family members on a regular basis. Sixty percent of surveyed baby boomers say spiritual activity is an important part of their lives, and almost six in 10 boomers (59%) exercise regularly.
Again, sleep and diet are the two areas where baby boomers come up short. Not surprisingly, the one area where boomers are more active is the workplace. Three-quarters (76%) of surveyed baby boomers say they work at a job or hobby almost every day; that compares with 16% of centenarians.
Finally, researchers turned to cultural affairs and asked centenarians and boomers to identify — from a list of 14 notable people (including President Obama, singer Paul McCartney and actors Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts) — their preferred dinner guest. The top choice among centenarians and boomers alike: actress and comedienne Betty White
finance.yahoo.com/news/baby-boomers-live-100-144233325.html
==============================
" ... UnitedHealthcare, under the Evercare brand, first
surveyed centenarians in 2006 to provide insight into
one of the fastest-growing segments of the population.
Since then, the company has conducted the 100@100
survey annually to raise awareness of the keys to living
a long, healthy life and the importance of physical,
emotional and mental well-being. The survey supports
UnitedHealthcare’s mission to help people live healthier
lives by anecdotally uncovering centenarians’ secrets to
aging successfully. The survey also provides an upbeat
perspective on older Americans, helping to counter
some common misconceptions about aging.
This year’s 100@100 survey provides a snapshot of the
lives and lifestyles of Americans who have achieved the
100-year milestone. It examines their opinions on a wide
swath of lifestyle habits and issues, ranging from social
networking to current events to health and wellness
choices.
" ... GfK Roper interviewed 100 centenarians (aged 99 and older at the time of the
interview) by telephone from July 14-29, 2011, obtained from a non-probability
sample of older Americans. The poll did not include older respondents whose
potentially frail condition would not allow them to participate in a telephone interview.
Therefore, the responses from these centenarians should be interpreted as being
indicative (not statistically representative) of the views of healthy and articulate
Americans in this age range.
" ... Longevity:
•35% attribute their long life to their lifestyle
•27% thank their genes
•23% cite faith
•9% believe they’ve had good luck
•6% simply don’t know
•88% adopted good sleeping habits as adults
•87% adopted a healthy diet
•83% limited their alcohol consumption
" ... Medicare and Politics:
•72% have been satisfied with their Medicare
coverage
•9% have been disappointed with it
•51% report that future Medicare recipients will
receive fewer benefits and less coverage
•10% believe future Medicare recipients will
receive more benefits and coverage
•25% each would elect FDR and Reagan as
president in 2012
".... Culture:
18% would want to relive the 1950s
12% would want to relive the 1920s
10% would want to relive the 1940s
9% each would want to relive the 1930s and
1970s
26% can’t make up their minds
61% would want to dine with Betty White
53% would want to dine with Queen Elizabeth
" ... Technology:
•44% say the electric fridge has been the most
impactful innovation on their lives
•26% say TV has had the greatest impact
•30% have used TiVo/DVR and YouTube
•6% have used email
•3% have used Facebook
•2% have used an iPad/other tablet computer
•None have used Twitter
Centenarians Say Fitness, Family, and Faith Matter
More than Fortune
•These centenarians reveal a number of different “secrets” for
their longevity. Many centenarians attribute their long life to their
lifestyle (35%), though many also give the most credit to their
genes (27%) and their faith (23%). But only 9% of these
centenarians say that good luck is the main reason they have
reached the century milestone.
•Most of these centenarians took good care of themselves by
getting plenty of sleep (88%), eating a healthy diet (87%), limiting
alcohol consumption (83%), and not smoking (78%). As a group,
these centenarians put somewhat less emphasis on other
aspects of personal wellness, such as seeing a doctor regularly
(60%), managing stress (56%), and exercising regularly (55%).
•45% say they probably would not have reached the century
mark if they had not made some of these healthy lifestyle
choices. Most of the rest of these centenarians (33%) are not
sure as to whether they would have otherwise reached 100.
10
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Longevity
Most did not expect to reach 100 – though nearly half made a conscious
choice to do so
•While few of these centenarians say that luck is the main reason for their longevity, most still
seem to view their long life as a bit of a surprise. Only 7% say that, when they were younger, they
expected to reach their current age.
•Nearly half (47%) of these centenarians say that, at some point in their lives, they made a
conscious choice to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to live a long life. Among those who did
make this conscious decision, about a quarter (23%) made this commitment to themselves while
still a child or teenager. About one in five (17%) of them resolved to live a long life in their fifties
or later.
Centenarians to boomers: Spend more time with your family!
•From their vantage point as the country’s most senior senior citizens, these centenarians say
that the best advice they could give to those just turning 65 now would be to spend more time
with their families (40%). Echoing their emphasis on a healthy lifestyle as the main contributor to
their own longevity, these centenarians would also tell younger seniors to take better care of their
health (24%). Saving more money is further down the list (14%).
11
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Politics & Medicare
Centenarians mirror the country's partisan division
•In an era of divided government and polarized views about how we should tackle the nation’s
problems, would things be different if the country’s politics were left entirely in the hands of our
most seasoned citizens? Not really, according to the latest 100@100 survey™.
•Equal proportions (25%) of the centenarians surveyed picked Democrat Franklin Roosevelt and
Republican Ronald Reagan as the president in their lifetime that they would most like to have
dealing with our country’s problems now. Another presidential odd couple, John Kennedy (10%)
and Dwight Eisenhower (9%), is next in line.
•In total, 43% of these centenarians named a Democratic president and 38% a Republican –
roughly reflecting the close partisan divide in the country as a whole.
Born at the right time: most centenarians are satisfied with their Medicare
benefits but think future retirees will not fare so well
•So far, so good: 58% of these centenarians say that the coverage and benefits they have
received from Medicare over the years have met their expectations, and an additional 14% say
that Medicare has exceeded their expectations since they first enrolled. Only 9% have been
disappointed with their Medicare benefits.
•A majority (51%) of the centenarians surveyed say that seniors who will become eligible for
Medicare in the years to come will receive fewer benefits and less coverage than they received
themselves.
12
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Culture
Centenarians Pick the ’50s as the Decade They Would Most Want to Relive
•Their first half-century was apparently their best: given the chance to relive one decade all over
again, half of these centenarians pick the 1950s or earlier. The ’50s (18%) are the top pick, followed
by the ’20s (12%), ’40s (10%), and ’30s (9%).
•These centenarians show little interest in going back to the decade that spawned the “Back to the
Future” franchise – the ’80s was chosen by only one of these respondents, the lowest of all.
•Overall, 26% of these centenarians decline to specify any decade that they would like to relive,
making “don’t know” the most popular response.
For these centenarians, Betty White is above royalty
•Ending the questionnaire on a lighter note, centenarians were asked which of 10 celebrities they
would invite to a family dinner. The top pick was Betty White (61%), placing ahead of her fellow
octogenarian Queen Elizabeth (53%), as well as next-place Prince William (42%).
•Oprah Winfrey (41%) and Barack Obama (41%) placed just behind Betty White and the royals, but
far ahead of House Speaker John Boehner (14%).
•23% would say, “You betcha” to having Sarah Palin join their family dinner; about the same number
(22%) would tell Donald Trump, “You’re invited!”
•70-year-old Bob Dylan may be famous for writing “Blowin’ in the Wind” in his youth, but most of
these centenarians would leave him standin’ on the doorstep during their family dinner. Only 10%
would want Dylan to join the festivities. Only Lady Gaga (6%) would get a chillier reception.
13
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Technology
Saying goodbye to the ice box meant more than saying hello to the iPad
•These centenarians overwhelmingly (44%) pick electric refrigerators as the technological
innovation that had the greatest positive impact on their life, with only television (26%) coming
close. Other advances – including personal computers and the Internet, microwave ovens, and
cellular phones – do not even make it into the double-digits.
Yet, some centenarians are quite tech-savvy, though they appear to think
Tweeting is for the birds
•Among these centenarians overall:
– 13% have access to the Internet
– 12% have watched a video on YouTube
– 8% have listened to music on an iPod or similar device
– 6% have used email
– 4% have gotten news about current events on the Internet
– 3% have used Facebook
– 2% have downloaded music from the Internet
– 2% have used an iPad or other tablet computer
– 1% have read an eBook on a Kindle, Nook, or similar device
– None have used Twitter
Detailed Findings
15
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q6: To what do you personally most attribute your
longevity?
• These centenarians
reveal that the
“secret” to their
longevity is their
lifestyle, as well as
their genes and their
faith.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Longevity
16
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q10: Which of the following behaviors associated with
a healthy lifestyle did you adopt during your adult
years?
• These centenarians
have put particular
emphasis on getting
enough sleep, eating
and drinking
healthily, and not
smoking.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Longevity
17
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q11: What was your primary reason for adopting
healthy lifestyle behavior(s)?
• Overall, more than a
third of these
centenarians
adopted healthy
lifestyle behaviors in
order to feel better;
more women than
men cite this reason.
• Twice as many men
than women report
adopting a healthy
lifestyle for some
other, unspecified
reason.
A/B = significantly different at the 95% level of confidence.
Bases: Centenarians Who Have Adopted Any Healthy Behaviors: n=100; Males: n=21; Females: n=79
Longevity
18
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q13: Had you not adopted healthy lifestyle behaviors,
would you say you…
• While a fifth of these
centenarians guess
that they would have
reached the age of
100 even without
having adopted
healthy lifestyle
behaviors, 45% say
they would not have
reached that age.
• Another third simply
do not know whether
they would or would
not have reached
100 had they not
made healthy
lifestyle choices.
Base: Centenarians Who Have Adopted Any Healthy Behaviors: n=100
Longevity
19
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Most did not expect to reach 100 – though
nearly half made a conscious choice to do so
Q7/Q8: When you were younger, did you expect that
you would live to be 100 years old?/Would you say
that you made a conscious decision to adopt a
healthy lifestyle so that you would lead a long life?
• Most of these
centenarians did not
expect to live this
long, though about
half did make a
conscious decision at
some point to adopt
a healthy lifestyle in
order to live longer.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Longevity
Total Centenarians
20
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q9: Think back to when you made a conscious
decision to adopt a healthy lifestyle so that you would
lead a long life. Roughly how old were you?
• Among those who
made a conscious
decision to adopt a
healthy lifestyle,
about a quarter
made this
commitment while
still a child or
teenager. Nearly a
fifth resolved to live a
long life in their 50s
or later.
Base: Centenarians Who Made Conscious Decision to Adopt Healthy Lifestyle: n=47
Longevity
Most did not expect to reach 100 – though
nearly half made a conscious choice to do so
21
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q17: If you could give only one piece of advice to
boomers as they enter their retirement years, which of
these would it be?
• Overall, the best
advice that
centenarians would
give the younger
senior population is
to spend more time
with their family.
• More female than
male centenarians
would advise
boomers to take
better care of their
health, while more
males than females
would suggest
fulfilling their life-long
dreams.
Longevity
Centenarians to boomers: Spend more
time with your family!
A/B = significantly different at the 95% level of confidence.
Bases: Total Centenarians: n=100; Males: n=21; Females: n=79
22
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q14: In 2012, if you could re-elect a current or past
president who served during your lifetime, whether he
is living or dead, to deal with the critical issues facing
our country now, who would it be?
• These centenarians
are divided between
re-electing a
Democratic president
and a Republican
president to deal with
the country’s
pressing issues.
• A quarter would
select Franklin D.
Roosevelt; on the
Republican side, a
quarter would
choose Ronald
Reagan.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Politics
Centenarians mirror the country’s
partisan division
23
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Born at the right time: Most centenarians satisfied with
Medicare benefits, think future retirees will not fare so well
Q2/Q3: Would you say your health-care coverage
under Medicare has exceeded, met, or fallen below
your expectations?/Do you think seniors who will
become eligible for Medicare in the years to come will
receive fewer benefits and less coverage from
Medicare than you have received, the same level as
you have, or more benefits and coverage than you
have?
• Most centenarians
say that their
Medicare coverage
has either met or
exceeded their
expectations.
• Yet, a majority
believe that seniors
who will become
eligible for Medicare
in the near future will
receive fewer
benefits and less
coverage than they
have received
themselves.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Medicare
Total Centenarians
24
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q15: If you could relive a decade all over again, which
one would it be?
• About half of these
centenarians would
choose to relive the
‘50s or earlier.
• A quarter would
choose the ‘60s or
later, while another
quarter simply can’t
decide which decade
they would want to
go back to.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Culture
Centenarians pick the ’50s as the decade
they would most want to relive
25
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q23: Imagine you were having a family dinner and
you could invite some of the following famous people
to join if you wanted to. For each, please say whether
you would invite them.
• The largest portion of
these centenarians
would want to dine
with Betty White, and
a majority would be
happy having Queen
Elizabeth over for
dinner.
• About two-fifths
would enjoy the
company of Prince
William, Oprah
Winfrey or Barack
Obama.
• Given her appeal to
younger audiences,
it’s not surprising that
Lady Gaga is not too
popular among these
centenarians.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Culture
For these centenarians, Betty White
is above royalty
26
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q16: I would like you to choose the one innovation
that you feel has had the greatest positive impact on
the way you've lived your life.
• Of all the advances
in technology, the
electric refrigerator
stands out as the
most impactful
among these
centenarians.
• Only about a quarter
feel that TV has had
the greatest positive
impact on their lives,
and only one person
cites computers or
the Internet.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Technology
Saying goodbye to the ice box meant
more than saying hello to the iPad
27
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q22: Have you ever done any of the following
activities, either on your own or with someone else?
• About a fifth of these
centenarians have
used TiVo or DVR to
watch a TV program
later, and about a
tenth each have
watched a video on
YouTube and
listened to music on
an iPod or similar
device.
• Very few have used
other new
technologies; in fact,
about 10% of these
centenarians say
that they don’t know
what Facebook,
iPhone apps, and
Twitter even mean.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Technology
Some centenarians are quite tech-savvy, though
they appear to think Tweeting is for the birds
28
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Q19: For which of the following activities have you
ever used the Internet?
• Not many of these
centenarians access
the Internet, but
among those who
do, the most popular
uses are looking up
information, emailing,
and viewing or
sharing photos with
family and friends.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Technology
Some centenarians are quite tech-savvy, though
they appear to think Tweeting is for the birds
29
Proprietary Information of UnitedHealth Group. Do not distribute or reproduce without express permission of UnitedHealth Group.
Respondent Profile
Gender
Female 79%
Male 21%
Age
99-105 (Net) 99%
99 40%
100 36%
101 10%
102 7%
103 4%
104 2%
106-110 (Net) 1%
110 1%
Mean 100.1
Hispanic
Yes 2%
No 96%
Don’t know 2%
Ethnicity
White 88%
Black 8%
Asian --
Other 4%
Education
Less than H.S. grad 27%
H.S. grad 23%
Tech/Trade school 3%
Some college 16%
College grad 10%
Some grad school --
Grad degree 16%
Don’t know 4%
Refused 1%
www.unitedhealthgroup.com/news/rel2011/UHC-100at100-Results-Report.pdf
The below piece falsely presents the survey findings as the 'secrets' to living to 100 years old. The opinions and finding are very interesting.
" ... Your chances of reaching age 100 could be better than you think — especially if you get some additional sleep and improve your diet. ... U.S. seniors who make it to their 100th birthdays tend to credit social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as keys to successful aging.
" ... UnitedHealthcare, under the Evercare brand, first
surveyed centenarians in 2006 to provide insight into
one of the fastest-growing segments of the population.
Since then, the company has conducted the 100@100
survey annually to
my jeffolie view: the secrets for current, average, the most common American to living a long life remain secrets .... the usual and politically correct answers resulting from the survey provided good entertainment value as a human interest story ... the opinions of the elderly most likely are not very cutting edge medical, psychological accurate given their fading minds.
================================
What baby boomers need to live to 100
By Glenn Ruffenach | MarketWatch – Sat, Jun 23, 2012 Yahoo! editors have selected this article as a favorite of 2012. It first appeared on Yahoo! Finance in June and was one of the most popular stories of the month. Readers pointed out that living a long life can be a mixed blessing if you outlive all your loved ones. "My Dad lived to 103," said user Don C. "When [asked] what he attributed his long life [to], he replied 'Just bad luck.'"
Your chances of reaching age 100 could be better than you think — especially if you get some additional sleep and improve your diet.
U.S. seniors who make it to their 100th birthdays tend to credit social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as keys to successful aging.
Research from UnitedHealthcare looks at centenarians and baby boomers, asking the former about the “secrets of aging success” and evaluating whether the latter are taking the necessary steps to celebrate a 100th birthday.
The primary findings: Many boomers are embracing lifestyles that could lead to a long and rewarding life — with two exceptions. More than seven in 10 centenarians — 71% — say they get eight hours or more of sleep each night. By contrast, only 38% of boomers say they get the same amount of rest. And when it comes to eating right, more than eight in 10 centenarians say they regularly consume a balanced meal, compared with just over two-thirds (68%) of baby boomers.
The report — “100@100 Survey” (view PDF at UnitedHealthGroup.com)
— begins with some startling numbers. As of late 2010, the U.S. had an estimated 72,000 centenarians, according to the Census Bureau. By the year 2050, that number — with the aging of the baby-boom generation — is expected to reach more than 600,000. Meanwhile, an estimated 10,000 boomers each and every day — for the next decade — will turn 65.
How to reach 100? Centenarians point to social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as some of the keys to successful aging. Among surveyed centenarians, almost nine in 10 — fully 89% — say they communicate with a family member or friend every day; about two-thirds (67%) pray, meditate or engage in some form of spiritual activity; and just over half (51%) say they exercise almost daily.
In each of these areas, baby boomers, as it turns out, match up fairly well. The same percentage of boomers as centenarians — 89% — say they’re in touch with friends or family members on a regular basis. Sixty percent of surveyed baby boomers say spiritual activity is an important part of their lives, and almost six in 10 boomers (59%) exercise regularly.
Again, sleep and diet are the two areas where baby boomers come up short. Not surprisingly, the one area where boomers are more active is the workplace. Three-quarters (76%) of surveyed baby boomers say they work at a job or hobby almost every day; that compares with 16% of centenarians.
Finally, researchers turned to cultural affairs and asked centenarians and boomers to identify — from a list of 14 notable people (including President Obama, singer Paul McCartney and actors Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts) — their preferred dinner guest. The top choice among centenarians and boomers alike: actress and comedienne Betty White
finance.yahoo.com/news/baby-boomers-live-100-144233325.html
==============================
" ... UnitedHealthcare, under the Evercare brand, first
surveyed centenarians in 2006 to provide insight into
one of the fastest-growing segments of the population.
Since then, the company has conducted the 100@100
survey annually to raise awareness of the keys to living
a long, healthy life and the importance of physical,
emotional and mental well-being. The survey supports
UnitedHealthcare’s mission to help people live healthier
lives by anecdotally uncovering centenarians’ secrets to
aging successfully. The survey also provides an upbeat
perspective on older Americans, helping to counter
some common misconceptions about aging.
This year’s 100@100 survey provides a snapshot of the
lives and lifestyles of Americans who have achieved the
100-year milestone. It examines their opinions on a wide
swath of lifestyle habits and issues, ranging from social
networking to current events to health and wellness
choices.
" ... GfK Roper interviewed 100 centenarians (aged 99 and older at the time of the
interview) by telephone from July 14-29, 2011, obtained from a non-probability
sample of older Americans. The poll did not include older respondents whose
potentially frail condition would not allow them to participate in a telephone interview.
Therefore, the responses from these centenarians should be interpreted as being
indicative (not statistically representative) of the views of healthy and articulate
Americans in this age range.
" ... Longevity:
•35% attribute their long life to their lifestyle
•27% thank their genes
•23% cite faith
•9% believe they’ve had good luck
•6% simply don’t know
•88% adopted good sleeping habits as adults
•87% adopted a healthy diet
•83% limited their alcohol consumption
" ... Medicare and Politics:
•72% have been satisfied with their Medicare
coverage
•9% have been disappointed with it
•51% report that future Medicare recipients will
receive fewer benefits and less coverage
•10% believe future Medicare recipients will
receive more benefits and coverage
•25% each would elect FDR and Reagan as
president in 2012
".... Culture:
18% would want to relive the 1950s
12% would want to relive the 1920s
10% would want to relive the 1940s
9% each would want to relive the 1930s and
1970s
26% can’t make up their minds
61% would want to dine with Betty White
53% would want to dine with Queen Elizabeth
" ... Technology:
•44% say the electric fridge has been the most
impactful innovation on their lives
•26% say TV has had the greatest impact
•30% have used TiVo/DVR and YouTube
•6% have used email
•3% have used Facebook
•2% have used an iPad/other tablet computer
•None have used Twitter
Centenarians Say Fitness, Family, and Faith Matter
More than Fortune
•These centenarians reveal a number of different “secrets” for
their longevity. Many centenarians attribute their long life to their
lifestyle (35%), though many also give the most credit to their
genes (27%) and their faith (23%). But only 9% of these
centenarians say that good luck is the main reason they have
reached the century milestone.
•Most of these centenarians took good care of themselves by
getting plenty of sleep (88%), eating a healthy diet (87%), limiting
alcohol consumption (83%), and not smoking (78%). As a group,
these centenarians put somewhat less emphasis on other
aspects of personal wellness, such as seeing a doctor regularly
(60%), managing stress (56%), and exercising regularly (55%).
•45% say they probably would not have reached the century
mark if they had not made some of these healthy lifestyle
choices. Most of the rest of these centenarians (33%) are not
sure as to whether they would have otherwise reached 100.
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Longevity
Most did not expect to reach 100 – though nearly half made a conscious
choice to do so
•While few of these centenarians say that luck is the main reason for their longevity, most still
seem to view their long life as a bit of a surprise. Only 7% say that, when they were younger, they
expected to reach their current age.
•Nearly half (47%) of these centenarians say that, at some point in their lives, they made a
conscious choice to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to live a long life. Among those who did
make this conscious decision, about a quarter (23%) made this commitment to themselves while
still a child or teenager. About one in five (17%) of them resolved to live a long life in their fifties
or later.
Centenarians to boomers: Spend more time with your family!
•From their vantage point as the country’s most senior senior citizens, these centenarians say
that the best advice they could give to those just turning 65 now would be to spend more time
with their families (40%). Echoing their emphasis on a healthy lifestyle as the main contributor to
their own longevity, these centenarians would also tell younger seniors to take better care of their
health (24%). Saving more money is further down the list (14%).
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Politics & Medicare
Centenarians mirror the country's partisan division
•In an era of divided government and polarized views about how we should tackle the nation’s
problems, would things be different if the country’s politics were left entirely in the hands of our
most seasoned citizens? Not really, according to the latest 100@100 survey™.
•Equal proportions (25%) of the centenarians surveyed picked Democrat Franklin Roosevelt and
Republican Ronald Reagan as the president in their lifetime that they would most like to have
dealing with our country’s problems now. Another presidential odd couple, John Kennedy (10%)
and Dwight Eisenhower (9%), is next in line.
•In total, 43% of these centenarians named a Democratic president and 38% a Republican –
roughly reflecting the close partisan divide in the country as a whole.
Born at the right time: most centenarians are satisfied with their Medicare
benefits but think future retirees will not fare so well
•So far, so good: 58% of these centenarians say that the coverage and benefits they have
received from Medicare over the years have met their expectations, and an additional 14% say
that Medicare has exceeded their expectations since they first enrolled. Only 9% have been
disappointed with their Medicare benefits.
•A majority (51%) of the centenarians surveyed say that seniors who will become eligible for
Medicare in the years to come will receive fewer benefits and less coverage than they received
themselves.
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Culture
Centenarians Pick the ’50s as the Decade They Would Most Want to Relive
•Their first half-century was apparently their best: given the chance to relive one decade all over
again, half of these centenarians pick the 1950s or earlier. The ’50s (18%) are the top pick, followed
by the ’20s (12%), ’40s (10%), and ’30s (9%).
•These centenarians show little interest in going back to the decade that spawned the “Back to the
Future” franchise – the ’80s was chosen by only one of these respondents, the lowest of all.
•Overall, 26% of these centenarians decline to specify any decade that they would like to relive,
making “don’t know” the most popular response.
For these centenarians, Betty White is above royalty
•Ending the questionnaire on a lighter note, centenarians were asked which of 10 celebrities they
would invite to a family dinner. The top pick was Betty White (61%), placing ahead of her fellow
octogenarian Queen Elizabeth (53%), as well as next-place Prince William (42%).
•Oprah Winfrey (41%) and Barack Obama (41%) placed just behind Betty White and the royals, but
far ahead of House Speaker John Boehner (14%).
•23% would say, “You betcha” to having Sarah Palin join their family dinner; about the same number
(22%) would tell Donald Trump, “You’re invited!”
•70-year-old Bob Dylan may be famous for writing “Blowin’ in the Wind” in his youth, but most of
these centenarians would leave him standin’ on the doorstep during their family dinner. Only 10%
would want Dylan to join the festivities. Only Lady Gaga (6%) would get a chillier reception.
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Technology
Saying goodbye to the ice box meant more than saying hello to the iPad
•These centenarians overwhelmingly (44%) pick electric refrigerators as the technological
innovation that had the greatest positive impact on their life, with only television (26%) coming
close. Other advances – including personal computers and the Internet, microwave ovens, and
cellular phones – do not even make it into the double-digits.
Yet, some centenarians are quite tech-savvy, though they appear to think
Tweeting is for the birds
•Among these centenarians overall:
– 13% have access to the Internet
– 12% have watched a video on YouTube
– 8% have listened to music on an iPod or similar device
– 6% have used email
– 4% have gotten news about current events on the Internet
– 3% have used Facebook
– 2% have downloaded music from the Internet
– 2% have used an iPad or other tablet computer
– 1% have read an eBook on a Kindle, Nook, or similar device
– None have used Twitter
Detailed Findings
15
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Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q6: To what do you personally most attribute your
longevity?
• These centenarians
reveal that the
“secret” to their
longevity is their
lifestyle, as well as
their genes and their
faith.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Longevity
16
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Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q10: Which of the following behaviors associated with
a healthy lifestyle did you adopt during your adult
years?
• These centenarians
have put particular
emphasis on getting
enough sleep, eating
and drinking
healthily, and not
smoking.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Longevity
17
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Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q11: What was your primary reason for adopting
healthy lifestyle behavior(s)?
• Overall, more than a
third of these
centenarians
adopted healthy
lifestyle behaviors in
order to feel better;
more women than
men cite this reason.
• Twice as many men
than women report
adopting a healthy
lifestyle for some
other, unspecified
reason.
A/B = significantly different at the 95% level of confidence.
Bases: Centenarians Who Have Adopted Any Healthy Behaviors: n=100; Males: n=21; Females: n=79
Longevity
18
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Centenarians say fitness, family, and
faith matter more than fortune
Q13: Had you not adopted healthy lifestyle behaviors,
would you say you…
• While a fifth of these
centenarians guess
that they would have
reached the age of
100 even without
having adopted
healthy lifestyle
behaviors, 45% say
they would not have
reached that age.
• Another third simply
do not know whether
they would or would
not have reached
100 had they not
made healthy
lifestyle choices.
Base: Centenarians Who Have Adopted Any Healthy Behaviors: n=100
Longevity
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Most did not expect to reach 100 – though
nearly half made a conscious choice to do so
Q7/Q8: When you were younger, did you expect that
you would live to be 100 years old?/Would you say
that you made a conscious decision to adopt a
healthy lifestyle so that you would lead a long life?
• Most of these
centenarians did not
expect to live this
long, though about
half did make a
conscious decision at
some point to adopt
a healthy lifestyle in
order to live longer.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Longevity
Total Centenarians
20
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Q9: Think back to when you made a conscious
decision to adopt a healthy lifestyle so that you would
lead a long life. Roughly how old were you?
• Among those who
made a conscious
decision to adopt a
healthy lifestyle,
about a quarter
made this
commitment while
still a child or
teenager. Nearly a
fifth resolved to live a
long life in their 50s
or later.
Base: Centenarians Who Made Conscious Decision to Adopt Healthy Lifestyle: n=47
Longevity
Most did not expect to reach 100 – though
nearly half made a conscious choice to do so
21
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Q17: If you could give only one piece of advice to
boomers as they enter their retirement years, which of
these would it be?
• Overall, the best
advice that
centenarians would
give the younger
senior population is
to spend more time
with their family.
• More female than
male centenarians
would advise
boomers to take
better care of their
health, while more
males than females
would suggest
fulfilling their life-long
dreams.
Longevity
Centenarians to boomers: Spend more
time with your family!
A/B = significantly different at the 95% level of confidence.
Bases: Total Centenarians: n=100; Males: n=21; Females: n=79
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Q14: In 2012, if you could re-elect a current or past
president who served during your lifetime, whether he
is living or dead, to deal with the critical issues facing
our country now, who would it be?
• These centenarians
are divided between
re-electing a
Democratic president
and a Republican
president to deal with
the country’s
pressing issues.
• A quarter would
select Franklin D.
Roosevelt; on the
Republican side, a
quarter would
choose Ronald
Reagan.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Politics
Centenarians mirror the country’s
partisan division
23
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Born at the right time: Most centenarians satisfied with
Medicare benefits, think future retirees will not fare so well
Q2/Q3: Would you say your health-care coverage
under Medicare has exceeded, met, or fallen below
your expectations?/Do you think seniors who will
become eligible for Medicare in the years to come will
receive fewer benefits and less coverage from
Medicare than you have received, the same level as
you have, or more benefits and coverage than you
have?
• Most centenarians
say that their
Medicare coverage
has either met or
exceeded their
expectations.
• Yet, a majority
believe that seniors
who will become
eligible for Medicare
in the near future will
receive fewer
benefits and less
coverage than they
have received
themselves.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Medicare
Total Centenarians
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Q15: If you could relive a decade all over again, which
one would it be?
• About half of these
centenarians would
choose to relive the
‘50s or earlier.
• A quarter would
choose the ‘60s or
later, while another
quarter simply can’t
decide which decade
they would want to
go back to.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Culture
Centenarians pick the ’50s as the decade
they would most want to relive
25
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Q23: Imagine you were having a family dinner and
you could invite some of the following famous people
to join if you wanted to. For each, please say whether
you would invite them.
• The largest portion of
these centenarians
would want to dine
with Betty White, and
a majority would be
happy having Queen
Elizabeth over for
dinner.
• About two-fifths
would enjoy the
company of Prince
William, Oprah
Winfrey or Barack
Obama.
• Given her appeal to
younger audiences,
it’s not surprising that
Lady Gaga is not too
popular among these
centenarians.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Culture
For these centenarians, Betty White
is above royalty
26
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Q16: I would like you to choose the one innovation
that you feel has had the greatest positive impact on
the way you've lived your life.
• Of all the advances
in technology, the
electric refrigerator
stands out as the
most impactful
among these
centenarians.
• Only about a quarter
feel that TV has had
the greatest positive
impact on their lives,
and only one person
cites computers or
the Internet.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Technology
Saying goodbye to the ice box meant
more than saying hello to the iPad
27
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Q22: Have you ever done any of the following
activities, either on your own or with someone else?
• About a fifth of these
centenarians have
used TiVo or DVR to
watch a TV program
later, and about a
tenth each have
watched a video on
YouTube and
listened to music on
an iPod or similar
device.
• Very few have used
other new
technologies; in fact,
about 10% of these
centenarians say
that they don’t know
what Facebook,
iPhone apps, and
Twitter even mean.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Technology
Some centenarians are quite tech-savvy, though
they appear to think Tweeting is for the birds
28
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Q19: For which of the following activities have you
ever used the Internet?
• Not many of these
centenarians access
the Internet, but
among those who
do, the most popular
uses are looking up
information, emailing,
and viewing or
sharing photos with
family and friends.
Base: Total Centenarians: n=100
Technology
Some centenarians are quite tech-savvy, though
they appear to think Tweeting is for the birds
29
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Respondent Profile
Gender
Female 79%
Male 21%
Age
99-105 (Net) 99%
99 40%
100 36%
101 10%
102 7%
103 4%
104 2%
106-110 (Net) 1%
110 1%
Mean 100.1
Hispanic
Yes 2%
No 96%
Don’t know 2%
Ethnicity
White 88%
Black 8%
Asian --
Other 4%
Education
Less than H.S. grad 27%
H.S. grad 23%
Tech/Trade school 3%
Some college 16%
College grad 10%
Some grad school --
Grad degree 16%
Don’t know 4%
Refused 1%
www.unitedhealthgroup.com/news/rel2011/UHC-100at100-Results-Report.pdf