Societal Data: Case Study

In Focus: Experiences of older age in England

Independent Age (2019)

Report: https://www.independentage.org/in-focus

What was the issue?

The way that society talks about older people and debates the challenges of our ageing population is often couched in extremes and based on assumptions about the millions of people who are aged over 65 in the UK today. However, the evidence shows that many people aged 65 and over are facing significant challenges and major inequalities exist. This project set out to explore the reality of life for older people whose voices can be less often heard in debates about ageing and to find out what is important for people in this age group. It focused on the experiences of specific groups of older people: those with mental or physical health conditions; people providing informal care; Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups; people on low incomes; and those without children. Additional aspects were considered, such as sexuality and gender differences. The project focused on older people in England.

We also wanted to highlight the big gap in statistics available about subgroups of older people. The data is out there, but is not easily available to NCVOs.

What data was used to examine the issue?

We took a mixed methods approach, combining broad quantitative data with deep-dive qualitative interviews. As we wanted participants from specific subgroups of older people in our qualitative study, we commissioned the research agency Humankind to conduct the qualitative research. When choosing the research agency, we convened a coproduction group of older people to help us choose the provider, and compile the questions and themes covered in the interview.

On the quantitative side, we commissioned academics from City University to use the Understanding Society dataset to track our subgroups across multiple indicators. Our indicators fell under three themes: health and wellbeing, financial security, and social connections. We chose the Understanding Society dataset over the ELSA dataset primarily because it gave us the option of comparing subgroups of older people not just with the ‘average older person’, or other subgroups, but with younger age groups in the same subgroup.

Our analysis attempted to create a snapshot, rather than tracking over time. We were keen to spotlight voices from subgroups of older people who are often absent from mainstream debates and don’t appear in conceptions of what being ‘older’ looks like. We wanted the quantitative data to provide context alongside these interviews and case studies, and highlight that not only are these groups often absent from discussions, but from statistics as well. Even quite simple statistics on older Black Asian and minority ethnic people, carers, and LGBT+ people are not easily accessed, and we wanted to shine a light on them.

How did you use the data to examine the issue?

We grouped the findings from the research into six main themes:

1. Assumptions and stereotypes - overarching assumptions and stereotypes about older people persist and can have a significant negative impact. Across the older people who shared their stories with us, there were widespread feelings that they weren’t regarded as individuals. There was also a sense that they were hemmed in by society’s expectations of how older people should behave and what their limitations are.

2. Limited expectations - people can have limited expectations of their own lives, and of the support they are entitled to. The research highlighted a range of points around people’s expectations including whether older age was what they had envisaged, about their future and about what was ‘due’ to them.

3. Social connections - vital social connections that can combat loneliness and ensure people are supported are often fragile. The vital importance of social connections came through in all the interviews. For many people, having strong social connections was the number one indicator of living a good life. But, in many cases, these connections weren’t in place or were diminishing, and there was a sense that this was just something that would inevitably happen as people get older.

4. Lack of choice - people often experience a disempowering and damaging lack of choice and control in their day-to-day lives. There was a strong sense of a loss of choice or control in aspects of people’s lives, and there were examples of how precarious people felt their lives were.

5. Interconnected challenges - the challenges older people face overlap and are interconnected, with one problem often leading to another. It is well established that difficulties in a person’s life can have a knock-on effect and create other problems. This project provided a chance to consider the issues lying behind – and often driving – people’s vulnerability or poorer outcomes, and how certain events and challenges can combine to create considerable difficulties for people in later life.

6. Protective factors - certain protective factors can help people build and maintain their resilience. Our research highlighted a number of factors that could be seen as protective – helping people to stay resilient and more able to cope with challenges – or that could potentially slow a decline in their resilience.

While some findings were expected, based on what we hear from our frontline services, some of the more specific findings were unexpected and intriguing. For example we found that older people in the lowest income group are less likely than any other age group in the same financial situation to describe their financial situation negatively. This matched with our interviews where older people in severe poverty were very reluctant to identify themselves as ‘struggling’, even those in very dire situations feeling that they ‘shouldn’t complain’ and ‘others were worse off’.

How did you use the findings?

We published our In Focus report, plus individual factsheets for each subgroup, which can be found here: https://www.independentage.org/in-focus

We have taken multiple opportunities to ensure the voices of the people who featured in In Focus are heard more widely. Data and stories have underpinned reports and briefings that we have published on a range of themes including social care, mental health and financial poverty. The findings have also informed our policy consultation responses to government and other high level decision making bodies. The sheer amount of data we were able to obtain in a curated form allows us to produce very tailored statistics that are uniquely from Independent Age.

The success of the coproduction element of the project has also been encouraging, and along with Humankind we have been nominated for the Market Research Association’s inclusive research award. We are now exploring how we can build co-productive elements into future policy and research projects.

Conclusion

Our 2020 report on mental health Minds that Matter, sought to build on our In Focus work that looked at older people with severe anxiety and depression. Rather than having to start from scratch, we were able to focus on the qualitative side of the project knowing that we already had a good amount of quantitative data to work with.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we have had to shift our policy priorities in 2020, so have not yet been able to conduct the follow up analyses we had been planning. However, due to the wide-ranging nature of the data there are plenty of opportunities available. For example, as part of our expansion of our work on pensioner poverty, we are considering a deeper dive into the subgroups experiences with financial security, including a closer look at age group differences.

We had never conducted this kind of project before, so at the start of the project we weren’t aware of all of the possibilities available to us. Looking back, it may have been interesting to use the quantitative data to develop a ‘vulnerability index’ for older people, covering multiple factors of potential risk. This was an idea suggested by our partner City University later in the project, but we did not have the time or resources to do it justice. The project taught us a lot about commissioning research and working with academics, and we have commissioned very successful pieces of research since then, including a 2020 report on the impact of low Pension Credit uptake on associated health and social care spending.