For the first time in history,there are more people over 60 than under 18 in the U.S. But what does that really mean? This report, in an FAQ format, has two aims:to place the aging of America in perspective and to discuss the impact of an aging society on our communities and economy.

The Stanford University research team examined older adults’ life goals, prosocial values and behaviors, perspectives on the progression to later life, and prevalence of purpose in their post-midlife, or encore, years.

Information was gathered through a nationally representative survey of nearly 1,200 adults, ages 50-90, followed by in-depth interviews with 102 of survey respondents to determine what role “purpose” plays in their lives. Taken together, the quantitative and qualitative data give us a first-ever picture of how purpose beyond the self looks and functions among older adults.

This mixed-methods study resulted in six key findings. The first four findings are supported by the survey data. The last two are based primarily on the interviews.

This series of applied research briefs highlights each of the study’s six major findings, with a focus on what they might mean for leaders in the field working to engage 50+ adults in purpose.

To complement the Stanford research, CoGenerate conducted a national survey to learn more about the landscape of programs and organizations that support older adults’ purposeful goals. This survey sought to better understand the services available to individuals seeking pro bono and paid engagements with social purpose organizations; and the services available to organizations that want to engage these purpose-seekers.

In the course of analyzing the survey responses, and based on decades of work in this field, the CoGenerate team also identified opportunities for new programs and offerings to fill gaps that became apparent.

In 2017, when Encore and researchers from the Stanford Graduate School of Education were beginning the Pathways to Encore Purpose project, Anne Colby, a psychologist at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education who has studied purpose across the life cycle, interviewed Hanmin Liu, co-founder of Wildflowers Institute, who made connections to informal elder leaders from three diverse Bay Area communities. “The Power and Purpose of Informal Community Leaders,” tells the stories of these community leaders and illustrates how each exemplifies purpose beyond the self, reveals the joy they gain from this work for the common good, and shows how the commitments of individuals can help create shared collective purpose in their communities.

This paper will examine the meaningful roles that adults 50+ can play to help improve the quality of childcare for young children 0-5. It will show that intergenerational approaches to child care have the potential to create brighter futures for currently underserved youth; benefit older adults seeking purpose, income and connection; and unlock doors to economic prosperity for small business owners (mostly low-income women of color) currently running home-based and family childcare centers.

Aging and racial diversity – the two great demographic dramas at the root of much of today’s political divisiveness – can also become sources of economic vitality and national renewal, according to a new essay by Encore.org Senior Fellow, author and former Washington Post reporter Paul Taylor.

Topline results on interest in encore entrepreneurship from the 2011 Encore Careers Survey.

Jim Emerman reflects on the future of purposeful aging

In June 2014, the Stanford Center on Longevity, Encore.org and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation joined together to convene the “Pass it On” conference of national experts, to explore how experienced adults can play critical roles in the lives of our children and youth, and to elevate generativity as a norm for the second half of life. This monograph builds on the key recommendations that emerged from the “Pass it On” conference to propose practical strategies for engaging encore talent to meet the needs of youth. It explains what organizations and communities can do, and encourages leaders and individuals alike to support and join efforts to mobilize experienced adults to work with children and youth. Two demographics — children in need of support and adults with the time and inclination to step into roles that provide it — fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.