US: Survey Identifies Baby Boomers Eager To Relive College Days
In one of the first surveys of its kind, 233 respondents
age 55 -75 say they like the idea of living on a college campus in their
retirement years. 58% said
they’d like to live on or near a small college town campus. 62% would be “very
interested” in taking courses together with traditional college students. 46%
say they’d prefer to own their residence in a college-affiliated
community.
The survey, conducted by
Campus Continuum of Newton, Mass., is designed to gauge the level of interest in the
concept of living in “a community of active life-long learners affiliated with
an academic institution.” Survey results are helping the
firm determine sites for campus communities which it will build and operate.
Campus
Continuum Managing Director Gerard
Badler
says, “In 20 years, there will be 70 million people over age 65 in the
U.S. and retirement lifestyles will
be radically different from today.” He says there are only about 20 closely
integrated campus-based communities across the country. But Badler, who has
spent the past few years crisscrossing the country meeting with college
administrators and boards, says the idea is gaining popularity.
Among other survey highlights from
respondents:
- While 58% said they’d prefer a
small college town, 37% prefer a suburban area; 28% prefer a
city. (Note: Respondents were
allowed to choose more than one location preference).
- Responders are willing to move
further distances from their current location than is typically reported in
other retirement relocation surveys. 46% are willing to move more than 100
miles to their preferred college destination; 27% would move more than 500
miles.
- More than 1/3 expressed interest
in retiring to a university with which they had no prior affiliation (as an
alum, faculty member, donor, etc.).
- 45% say the maximum desirable
distance of the community from the main campus is 2 miles; 25% indicate 2-5
miles; 22% indicate 5 – 10 miles is OK. Only 2% insist that the project be located directly
on campus.
- 64% are very interested in
volunteering on campus (tutoring, mentoring, part-time lecturing, museum
guide).
- 52% are very interested in
volunteering off campus (elementary schools, libraries,
hospitals).
- Asked, “At what age would you
seriously consider moving into a college retirement community” the most
frequent responses were 61 – 65 (32%), 66-70 (23%), and 56 – 60 (16%).
- 58% of respondents have a Masters
degree or higher level of education.
Badler says the concept is a
win-win-win: There are numerous advantages for people 55+ who choose to live on
or near campuses, for the colleges, and for the surrounding communities at
large. Visit the website for more information and/or to participate in the online survey: Go to www.campuscontinuum.com and click on
“Consumer Survey.”
CONTACT:
Gerard Badler, Managing
Director
Campus Continuum
617-964-2422
gbadler@campuscontinuum.com
web:
campuscontinuum.com
All of the above text is a press release provided by the quoted organization. TheMatureMarket.com accepts no responsibility for their accuracy.
By
M.B. Date
10-10-2006
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