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68.9% of respondents believe that people over 65 have “many or quite a few problems.”

Madrid, 21 February 2025

Nota Informativa

  • Housing prices, job insecurity and difficulties in becoming independent are considered the main problems for young people.
  • 72.5% of people over 65 find it “very easy or easy” to make an appointment at a health center.
  • 41.9% of those over 65 say they find it “very difficult or difficult” to carry out procedures in public administration bodies.

The CIS (Spanish National Statistics Institute) conducted a study on ageism, in which 68.9% of respondents stated that people over 65 in Spain have "many or quite a few problems." Regarding the situation of young people under 35, the percentage increases, with 82.5% considering them to have "many or quite a few problems."

Issues

25.1% of respondents say the main problem facing older adults in our country is a lack of funds for everyday expenses (electricity, heating, groceries, etc.); 18.1% say it's insufficient public resources for their needs (residences, day centers, home care, etc.); and 14.3% say it's loneliness and a lack of social connections.

When asked about the main problems facing young people in Spain, 10.9% mentioned the price of housing; 10.7% mentioned job insecurity; 10% mentioned the difficulty of becoming independent; and 9.9% mentioned the uncertain future.

50.4% of respondents said they “strongly agree or agree” with the statement “young people today have many more opportunities than their parents had at their age,” while 47.7% said they “disagree or strongly disagree.”

89.3% "strongly agree or agree" that "older people generally suffer more loneliness than younger people." And 62.1% "strongly agree or agree" that the age limit for renewing or obtaining a driver's license should be set.

Improving the lives of the elderly

Regarding priority measures to improve the situation of the elderly, respondents - on a scale of 0 to 10 - indicate adapting the environment for them (affordable transport, ramps, etc.) as the highest priority (8.66), improving the care that private companies and public administrations offer to the elderly (8.58), promoting the existence of leisure and social spaces for the elderly (8.58), and policies to reduce the digital divide between the elderly and the rest of society (8).

Improving the lives of young people

For young people, they believe the most important thing would be to guarantee them quality employment and salaries (8.9); second, to ensure affordable rental housing (8.69); and third, to improve assistance and resources for starting a family (8.49).

On the other hand, 34.7% believe that young people are more at risk of social exclusion than older people, compared to 59.5% who say they are not.

Procedures for those over 65

48.1% of respondents over 65 years of age admit that "on many or quite a few occasions" when speaking by phone with a public administration they have been told that they need an appointment that they must request online and that they do not know how to do it, 33.7% say that "on many or quite a few occasions" they have been told in a public office that they have to do a procedure online without being given the option of doing it in person.

72.5% find it "very easy or easy" to make a medical appointment at a health center. And 80.4% find it "very easy or easy" to freely dispose of their assets (house, money, etc.)
53.9% say they find it "very difficult or difficult" to process paperwork with public administration agencies, and 47.2% say they struggle to resolve contracts or issues with electricity, telephone, and insurance providers.

Grandchild Care

46.7% of respondents over 65 years of age with grandchildren say they have occasionally taken care of them, in their daily lives, while their children were at work. 38.3% say they have cared for their grandchildren in the past but do not now.

And compared to other generations, 58.6% of respondents over 65 believe that children today provide worse care for their elders, and only 9.1% say they do so better than before.

In the last 12 months

22.9% of people over 65 have experienced displeasure or impatience when carrying out tasks because they don't fully understand what someone is saying, and 31.1% have experienced this perception only rarely.

In addition, 10% have felt ignored because of their age "many or quite a few times" and 24.3% have had that feeling "rarely."

Among those surveyed aged 34 or younger, 38.6% have been told "many or quite a few times" that they were too young for that. And 34.2% have been embarrassed or embarrassed to give their opinion because it wouldn't be taken seriously.

Influence of age on political behavior and orientation

71.9% of respondents believe that age has a significant or significant influence on people's political behavior and orientation.

Respondents believe that the parties most popular with young people are the PSOE (25.4%), Vox (18.2%), and PP (11.9%). Among older voters, they believe they are the PP (40.1%), PSOE (31.4%), and Vox (2.8%).

These and other data are collected in the study on ageism, which was conducted from January 10 to 16 and included a sample of 5,006 interviews.

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