More Press Coverage

Examining Boomers' Life Plans
July 13, 2004, The Newark Star-Ledger

By SHIRLEY M. FRIEDMAN

Many baby boomers are confronting the question: "What will I do with the rest of my life?"

What's causing this introspection is the fact that, in seven years, the oldest boomers will turn 65. On average, boomers can expect to live to 83, many continuing into their 90s.

Those extra years -- unique in human history -- constitute a new stage of life.

A new report, "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomer and Civil Engagement," was introduced recently by the Harvard School of Public Health-MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civil Engagement.

The major issue at hand: As some demands that command their attention in midlife recede, boomers have the potential to become a social resource of immense proportions by actively participating in the life of communities. But will they do so?

Compared to their parents, the so-called "Greatest Generation," boomers have done less by every measure of civic engagement, including rates of voting and joining community groups.

Some questions examined by the report, which underscores an "unprecedented opportunity ahead to mobilize millions of aging boomers as community volunteers":

1. Can a national effort succeed in mobilizing large numbers of boomers to contribute their time, skills and experiences to address community problems?

2. If boomers respond in quantity, will various civic organizations be prepared to receive them?

3. What roles can news media, the advertising industry and Hollywood play in helping society redefine the meaning and purpose of the older years?

Key observations include:

• The link between age and retirement is eroding. Instead of retiring en masse in their late 50s or early 60s, boomers are more likely to work longer and to move gradually toward complete retirement.

• The year 2011, when the first boomers reach 65, may be less of a watershed than anticipated -- if the connection between age and retirement continues to erode. More volunteer in midlife than retirement.

• Large-scale efforts may be needed to recruit boomers as volunteers. Given that boomers have been far less civically engaged than the "Greatest Generation" at every stage to date, it's not clear to what extent they'll fill their parents' shoes through volunteer activity in retirement.

A national campaign -- on a scale not previously attempted -- might very well succeed in mobilizing boomers. Such a campaign, comparable to the national designated driver campaign of the late 1980s, could have a big impact by stimulating a public dialogue about the meaning and purpose of later years.