The greying of the baby boom in the United States: Framing the policy debate (original) (raw)

Trends, Issues, Perspectives, and Values for the Aging of the Baby Boom Cohorts

The Gerontologist, 1996

The contours of population aging are well known. As a result of birth and mortality trends and the aging of the baby boom cohorts, the population aged 65 and over and, to an even greater extent, the population aged 85 and over, are expected to grow very rapidly over the next 60 years, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the entire population. Under its middle series projection, the U.S. Bureau of the Census (Day, 1992) projects that there will be 54 million people aged 65 or over in 2020 (20.2% of the population) and 79 million in 2050 (20.6% of the population), compared to 31 million (12.5%) in 1990. Baby boomers-the 76 million persons born between 1946 and 1964-will represent about 60 million of the projected 70 million people aged 65 or over in 2030. More significantly, given the association between advanced old age and functional disabilities, the Bureau projects that by 2050 almost 18 million people (4.6% of the population)-virtually all baby boomers-will be age 85 and over, compared to 3.1 million (1.3%) in 1990. These trends are combining with political and economic change to spark a growing national debate about the implications of the aging of America or, more popularly, the anticipated aging of "the baby boom generation." Increasingly, this debate is framed around the question of whether the U.S. can financially afford to continue its current array of "old age" entitlements and other "aging programs," and if not, how the programs should be made affordable. Indeed, for a good many people, including many younger persons who support Social Security and Medicare but doubt whether the programs will be available for them in old age, the first question has been answered. The debate is over the extent of changes to be made. U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey (D-Nebraska), Chair of the Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform, has called for "an honest national conversation about how best to plan for a future in which our population will be fundamentally different from what it was

Generation Crisis: How Population Research Defined the Baby Boomers

Modern American History, 2018

This article presents an intellectual and social history of the concept of the baby boom. Researchers first invented the notion of a population bulge in the mid-twentieth-century United States to explain birth rates that were higher than predicted by their theories of a mature population and economy. As the children born during this “baby boom” entered schools in the 1950s, they were drawn into a pre-existing conversation about an educational emergency that confirmed researchers’ suspicions that the bulge would spread crisis over time throughout all of the nation's age-graded institutions. New sociological and demographic explanations of the bulge subsequently merged with heightened talk of generational conflict during the 1960s and 1970s to define, with journalistic help in 1980, the “baby boom generation” and the “baby boomer.” Crisis talk has pursued the boomers into the present, mobilized most effectively by opponents of the welfare state.

Baby boomers and adult ageing: issues for social and public policy

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, 2007

This paper provides a critical assessment of academic and policy approaches to population ageing with an emphasis on the baby boomer cohort and constructions of late-life identity. It is suggested that policy towards an ageing population has shifted in focus, away from particular social hazards and towards an attempt to re-engineer the meaning of legitimate ageing and social participation in later life. Three themes are identified: constructing the baby boomers as a force for social change, a downward drift of the age associated with 'older people' and a shift away from defining ageing identities through consumption, back towards work and production. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for future social and public policy.

Sociological perspectives on the baby boomers: An exploration of social change

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, 2008

The 'baby boom' generation has emerged as a significant group in debates focusing on population change. The demographic context concerns the increase in the birth rate across industrialised countries from the mid-1940s through to the mid-1960s. From a sociological perspective, boomers have been viewed as a group with distinctive experiences that set them apart from previous generations. In the UK context, however, there have been relatively few detailed studies of the characteristics of the boomer generation, and in particular that of first wave boomers (born between 1945 and 1954) now entering retirement. This article draws on a research project exploring changes in consumption and identity affecting this cohort. The paper reviews some of the key social and demographic changes affecting this group, highlighting a mixture of continuities and discontinuities over previous cohorts. The article concludes with an assessment of the value of sociological research for furthering understanding of the baby boomer generation.

Policies and Politics for an Aging America

Contexts, 2010

In “Facts and Fictions About an Aging America” (Contexts, Fall 2009), our research group unpacked a series of widely held, inter–related misconceptions about our aging population and outlined the broad societal implications of the realities. With the realities articulated and myths exposed, we can start to explore how policy–makers can effectively invest across the life course to create a successful aging society. We call for a new approach to aging–one that involves not only newpolicies, but also newways to think about aging in America. Both our reframing and subsequent policy proposals will increase the likelihood that the United States, as it ages, will become amore productive and equitable society.

Expert perceptions of the popular baby boomer image

Australasian Journal on Ageing, 2013

Aim: This paper explored how gerontology experts described baby boomers, whether they challenged the popular image, and if they provided alternatives to the popularly reported baby boomer behaviours and characteristics. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten experts from different areas across Australia. The interviews were semi-structured and guided by a 'sense-making' approach to explore the baby boomer construct and identify expert narratives that differed from the popularly tendered image. Results: The majority of experts were identified as baby boomers and made use of phrases associated with the popular baby boomer image, such as 'cashed up', 'reinventing retirement' and 'sea change'. Lifestyle and wealth were recognised as staple features of the popular image. To a lesser degree, the experts also recognised alternative characteristics and behaviours, including people with disabilities and those who struggle financially. Conclusions: Experts appeared to identify with the popular baby boomer label, but not necessarily the accompanying stereotypes.