Projects

The aim of this research was to investigate the 'needs' and 'resources' of older people, with a particular focus on poverty and hardship in later life, by conducting secondary analysis of data from five nationally representative datasets (see below).

The aims of the project were ambitious, requiring an exploration of many dimensions of needs and resources and their interactions, both at a point in time and over successive cohorts. One of the central challenges for this research is that people's (changing) needs in later life have not been studied in any systematic rigorous fashion, either for the generality of older people or for particular sub-groups (age, ill-health/disability, gender). The research also included evidence on older people's aspirations, focusing on what they have, buy and do as well as what they 'need'.

The following 5 datasets were explored:

• British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). BHPS has followed the same individuals and households since 1991, and contains a wide range of questions on needs and resources including questions on level of income, sources of income, receipt of benefits and how people are managing financially;
  
• The Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS). A nationally representative sample of all households in the United Kingdom, which brings together the Family Expenditure and National Food Surveys, and contains detailed information on individuals' and households' expenditure on a wide range of items and services;
  
• General Household Survey (GHS). The GHS is a repeated cross-sectional survey that has been carried out since 1971 and collects demographic information including individual, household and family information, in addition to a range of information on needs and resources including consumer durables, as well as information on pensions, health and use of health services and income;
  
• The Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey of Britain (PSE). The PSE was developed (in 1999) specifically to measure different aspects of poverty and social exclusion, and as such contains a wide range of variables including those relating to access and take up/usage of key services. Its sample was drawn from the GHS and, although low income households were over-represented in the sample, weights have been devised to ensure that the data are nationally representative; and
  
• Health Survey for England (HSE). The HSE includes 'core' modules on, for example, general health and longstanding illnesses, use of health services, drinking, cigarette smoking, psycho-social health (GHQ12) and non-fatal accidents.

The analysis focused on three areas in order to examine how the needs and resources of individuals in later life interact, identifying triggers of hardship and protective factors:

• a general overview of the needs and resources of individuals in later life;
  changing needs and resources with age; and
• changing needs and resources over time.

The analytical techniques included both simple descriptive methods and multivariate techniques, which showed the relative importance of different characteristics in 'explaining' needs and resources and changes in them. Professor Ruth Hancock (of the University of Essex) provided expert advice and analysis relating to health data.

Project Team
Sue Middleton, Karen Kellard, Jacqueline Beckhelling, Dr Kim Perren, Viet-Hai Phung and Nicola Selby.

Dates
June 2004-2006

Sponsor
Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Publications
Middleton, S., Hancock, R., Kellard, K., Beckhelling, J., Phung, V-H. and Perren, K. (2007), Measuring Resources in Later Life: a review of the data,York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The needs and resources of older people, Findings

Kellard, K., Beckhelling, J., Phung, V-H., Middleton, S., Perren, K. and Hancock, R., (2006), Needs and Resources in Later Life: technical report, CRSP Working Paper 537.

Related Publications
Hill, K., Kellard, K., Middleton, S., Cox, L. and Pound, E. (2007) Understanding Resources in Later Life: views and experiences of older people, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.