Financial dimensions of well-being in older age

In 2013 the Personal Finance Research Centre (PFRC) was awarded funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) under its Secondary Data Analysis Initiative for a 15 month research project to explore the financial dimensions of wellbeing in older age.

The research was led by  David Hayes, Sharon Collard and Andrea Finney, in partnership with the International Longevity Centre (ILC-UK).

We analysed a suite of quantitative and qualitative datasets and synthesised the findings to provide a complete view of financial well-being among older people. This was complemented by survey data analysis of the longitudinal and cross-country influences on older people's financial well-being and quality of life. 

The study generated new knowledge to improve our understanding of these issues, by examining the types of savings and assets that older people have; their patterns of spending and borrowing; their access and use of financial services such as bank accounts and insurance; and the relationship between financial well-being and quality of life.

Read more about the project