Is Social Exclusion still important for Older People?
19 September 2012
This event is kindly supported by Age UK
#sociallyexcluded
Welcome
David Sinclair
Assistant Director, Policy and CommunicationsILC-UK
This event is kindly supported by Age UK
#sociallyexcluded
Is Social Exclusion still important for Older People?
Dylan Kneale
Head of ResearchILC-UK
This event is kindly supported by Age UK
#sociallyexcluded
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Dylan Kneale, ILC-UK
Is Social Exclusion still important for
Older People?
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Broadest sense
The ‘exclusion’ in social exclusion
No, Arguably apolitical with a rich academic history
UN, Europe…UK?
What is social exclusion?
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Social exclusion for adults centred around
employment and opportunities – older people?
For older people – much about keeping
independent; Excluded from aspects of life that
keep independent
Philipson and Scharf (2004): 4 risk factors
What is social exclusion for older people?
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Using data from English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Adapting framework by Barnes et al (2006); change between 2002 and
2008
The current study I
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What we found: Level of social exclusion I
2002 20080.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
18.0%
-1.7%
+1.1%
-0.6%
+5.3%+5.6%
-0.8%
-6.5%
Exclusion from Social Relationships
Exclusion from Cultural Activities
Exclusion from Civic Ac-tivities and Information
Exclusion from Local Amenities
Exclusion from Decent Housing and Public Transport
Exclusion from Financial Products
Exclusion from Common Consumer Goods
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What we found: Level of social exclusion II
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What we found: Level of social exclusion III
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Some likely suspects – but differs by domain…
Overall:
Demographic: Older; Non-white; Childless; Lived
Alone/Lived with Children and No Partner/Lived without
Partner
Health: Off work sick; Poor self-rated health; No regular
uptake of physical exercise; Depressed; Experienced a
fall
Socioeconomic: Poor-in the lowest quintile of equivilised
household income; Living in rented housing; No car;
Living on benefits as the main source of income
Who is most likely to be excluded? (2008)
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
6 years
2002 2008
Longitudinal analyses: transitions
50+ in 2002
More excluded Less excluded
24% 19%
50-59 in 2002
More excluded Less excluded
22% 21%
80+ in 2002
More excluded Less excluded
35% 19%
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Based on characteristics in 2002, who was most likely to be
excluded in 2008?
Experienced disadvantage in 2002 (material and non-
material); Older; Lived Alone; Poor self-rated health;
Depressed; Poor: in the lowest quintile of equivilised
household income; Living in rented housing; No car
Which changes in people’s characteristics were associated
with becoming more excluded?
People who assumed caring responsibilities, who started
to live alone, who became too sick to work, who
developed poorer self-rated health, people who became
depressed, and people who took up less exercise
Longitudinal analyses: predictors
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Longitudinal analyses: outcomesS
oc
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ela
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ns
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Civ
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Cu
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cti
vit
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Ex
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Lo
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Ho
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-3.5
-3
-2.5
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
1 Shift policy directions away from ‘older people’s policies’ to ‘ageing policies’ in
order to tackle increasing exclusion among middle aged people
2 Allocate the task of measuring and developing strategies to overcome material
and non-material disadvantage simultaneously to a specific unit or team within
government
3 Improve planning of neighbourhoods for people of all ages to reduce levels of
exclusion from local amenities and decent housing and public transport
4 Instigate further research into the trigger factors and roles of public
policy and services in helping older people move from being socially
excluded
5 Encourage greater development of outreach provision to reach the
hardest to reach before crises occur
Recommendations
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
6 Support programmes to encourage the development/uptake of financial
products among disadvantaged older people
7 Development of a widowhood strategy
8 Provision of additional support for carers
9 Greater investment in physical exercise services for older people with
specific focus on how to retain older people in programmes of physical
exercise
10 Reduction of gender inequalities in social exclusion through expansion
of existing intervention programmes
Recommendations
The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Advantages of social exclusion can also represent
disadvantages
At the heart of voluntary exclusion is involuntary
exclusion?
Benefit is short-hand way for policy-makers to assess
necessary domains for maintaining independence and
autonomy
Often criticise lack of ‘joined-up’ thinking in policy – ‘social
exclusion’ bucks this trend
Some irrefutable evidence e.g. boomers
Conclusions
Greg Lewis Programme Manager – Communities and Society
Age UK
Justin RussellDirector – Ageing Society and State Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
This event is kindly supported by Age UK
#sociallyexcluded
Panel Debate and Q&A
This event is kindly supported by Age UK
#sociallyexcluded
Is Social Exclusion still important for Older People?
19 September 2012
This event is kindly supported by Age UK
#sociallyexcluded