Does Quality of Life at Older Ages Vary with Socio-Economic Position?

Abstract

The increase in life expectancy at middle age has added quality of life to the policy concerns related to older ages. The present article asks whether this quality of life varies with socio-economic position. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n.d.), the article answers this question in terms of the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification and CASP-19, a measure of positive quality of life in early old age. Among all respondents aged 50 to 75 years, quality of life was found to be graded by social position, with the difference in quality of life between the higher managerial and professional group and the routine group being of comparable size to having a limiting long-standing illness; with the size of this difference varying between labour market sub-groups. The implication of these findings for ageing policy and for the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification are discussed.