Barómetro del Consumidor Senior | IKERFEL

Mapfre Foundation and the Ageingnomics Research Center have given us the opportunity to conduct the 5th Senior Consumer Barometer. A key study for understanding this demographically, economically, and socially significant group.

The 5th Senior Consumer Barometer opens the door to an in-depth understanding of this group on key issues; not only in the economic sphere, where we address a review of spending, savings, housing, leisure, and technological uses, but also in the social and attitudinal sphere, analyzing life attitudes, family support, life plans, sexuality, and ageism.

Google collaborated in its development, providing a very specific perspective on technological consumption.

It is a realistic view of demographic change based on the economic and social opportunities brought about by an aging population. A positive and accessible approach, showing what this group truly represents for Spanish society.

Along with the national report, three monographs have been developed with a specific focus on the Community of Madrid, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community.

Applied Methodology.

For this study, different techniques were combined, optimal for addressing the specific characteristics of this group.

Telephone interviews (CATI Ikerfel Survey System).
Online interviews (CAWI Ikerfel Survey System).

Sample size and design

The study measures the spending power of people over 55, with a special focus on technology, savings, housing, and tourism.

To achieve this, it bases its results on interviews with a sample with the following characteristics:

Universe: People aged 55 and over residing in Spain.

Sample design: random, stratified sample with proportional allocation by sex and age, and semi-proportional allocation by autonomous community with oversampling in the Community of Madrid, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community.

Sample size: 2,259 interviews with the following distribution according to age groups:

55-59 years: 23%
60-64 years: 21%
65-69 years: 16%
70 and over: 40%

Sampling error: ±2.1%

We conducted an in-depth analysis of a continuously growing group, now numbering more than 16 million people and a fundamental pillar of society.

Main Conclusions

Beyond stereotypes, the Barometer offers a vision of a reality far removed from negative clichés, in which seniors claim their right to enjoy life—“because they’ve earned it”—and warn that, in their opinion, we are still an ageist country.

The senior population (55+):

Believe that the rest of society is aging them prematurely.
Feel they are discriminated against on the basis of age. 3.6 million seniors have felt discriminated against because of their age.
This discrimination begins in the workplace: one in three seniors aged 55 to 59 has felt discriminated against at work.
They show how society's safety net works. 51% have provided financial support to their immediate family members in the last year.
They own their primary residence: 84% own it.
Committed to healthy aging: 80% take care of their diet and 58% exercise.
They appreciate leisure, tourism, and culture: 8 out of 10 plan to travel for tourism next year.
They disagree with postponing the retirement age.
They are fully connected to the digital world. Compared to 2023, 27% more people between the ages of 74 and 85 will use the internet daily, representing more than 850,000 people.