Physical activity in Germany: Discrepancy between high societal expectation and actual activity levels in old age

Remaining physically active in later life has been shown to contribute to a longer and healthier life without the need for care or support. Accordingly, a societal expectation to stay active in old age (prescriptive age norm) has emerged - particularly among older adults themselves. Yet, are they in fact as physically active as expected?

Using representative data from the Age_ISM Germany survey (ages 16 - 96 years), we examine the extent to which older individuals agree with the prescriptive age norm that 'old people should normally remain physically active' compared to younger individuals. This is contrasted with the actual activity behavior of 18- to 90-year-olds based on the 2019/2020 GEDA survey data from the Robert Koch Institute. This allows us to compare endorsement of the prescriptive norm with actual behavior.

Although the prescriptive age norm of remaining physically active is more strongly endorsed in the older age groups than in the younger age groups, the proportion of individuals who are sufficiently active according to the World Health Organization's definition is significantly lower in the older age groups.

The findings point to a 'norm-behavior gap': from around the age of 75 onwards, expectations regarding physical activity and actual behavior diverge increasingly. At the individual level, the negative age stereotype of older people as inactive and passive may, for instance, contribute to older adults' perception of being less addressed by exercise programs. At the socio-structural level, this may indicate a lack of age-sensitive exercise programs.