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Questions About Aging and Later Life on Quora
Reuben Ng1,2, Nicole Indran1
1Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
The Gerontologist
|May 30, 2024
Summary
People are most concerned about practical issues and health as they age. Understanding these concerns is crucial for empowering individuals navigating the aging process.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sociology of Aging
Background:
- Gerontologists have limited understanding of public inquiries regarding later life.
- Analyzing public questions offers insights into how individuals perceive age-related issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the types of questions individuals have about aging.
- To identify public concerns and priorities related to later life.
Main Methods:
- Content analysis of 658 Quora questions related to aging, senior citizens, elders, and older people.
- Questions analyzed received over 250 million views.
- Qualitative analysis employed both deductive and inductive approaches.
Main Results:
- Five major themes emerged: Practical Concerns (30%), Health and Well-Being (29%), Prolongation of Youth (16%), Science of Aging (15%), and Existential Concerns (10%).
- Practical and health-related questions constituted the largest proportion of public inquiries.
Conclusions:
- Addressing public concerns about aging, especially practical and health issues, is essential.
- Understanding and addressing these concerns can empower individuals during the aging process.
- With a rapidly aging global population, assuaging these concerns is of paramount importance.
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