Older people and life conditions: analysis from household budget research, Viçosa (MG) Brazil, 2019-2020

Abstract

Abstract Objective The study aimed to identify the socioeconomic profile of the older population in Viçosa, MG, Brazil, and their living condition and verify the influence of the age, sex and education factors on the income of family members and the older people in particula Methods This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study, based on data from the Household Budget Survey (POF) (2019-2020), from the Department of Economics at the Federal University of Viçosa (DEE-UFV). Three hundred and seven households participated in the study and the sample was composed by 167 older people. Results Most of the older people were female, with an average age of 69.8 (±8.07) years old, education level referring to complete high school and retired (74.90%). As to their income, most of them had R$2,914.10 on average, which is above the range considered low by the Brazilian Government Registry named “Cadastro Único”. They also had the retirement as their exclusive income. The older people were satisfied with their living conditions, especially in regard to housing. The variables gender, age, and education influenced the family members’ income. But the age factor did not influence the older people’s income when it was singularly analyzed. Conclusions The studied sample had more satisfactory and favorable income, schooling and living conditions than the older population in the country when compared to studies that used data from the national POF. However, this reality could be linked to the existence of the UFV in the city where great part of the population studies and/or works therefore achieving better educational levels and earning higher incomes once education has a positive impact on the access to better jobs and wages.