Tokyo - May 24, 2006 - Hakuhodo's Elder Business Development Division constantly monitors Japan's elders, people aged 50+, through an array of studies and other research. This time the Division cast the spotlight on the self-identities and lifestyles male baby-boomers envisage after retirement with its Survey of Baby-Boomer Men's Dreams: A Life of Adventure After Retirement. Below we present some preliminary findings of the survey, conducted via the Internet in December 2005 on 411 Japanese males aged 56-58.
The findings show that boomer men's pre- and post-retirement self-identities undergo a significant change, with figures for myself as a man and myself as a husband soaring. The figures for myself as a man, at 21.2%, is close to 4 times that of the same self-identity pre-retirement (5.3%).
In desirable lifestyles, wanting to live life without being restricted by one's age and wanting to have something to really sink one's teeth into - reflections of a desire for stimulation and change - received scores of more than 60%. Passive responses like wanting to live a life appropriate to one's age and wanting to take life easy received little support.
Furthermore, in the types of relations they hope to have with other generations once they retire, friendships with many people regardless of age, at 60%, was well ahead of the desire to be at home with one's peers. Male boomers also want to be stimulated by people from many age groups, get to know other generations and create something together with the generation below themselves.
Cleanups, community disaster prevention, and NPOs, all with scores of around 40%, were popular activities our respondents hoped to become involved in once they retire, indicating the degree of their interest in volunteering and community involvement.
Meanwhile, publishing information on the Internet was the top activity respondents wanted to get into by themselves, while travel and parties at home were the top activities they want to do with their wives and children.
Given that responses to all survey questions embodied some aspect of self actualization or realizing dreams, it seems the old concept of retirement as old age and living out the rest of one's life does not hold a lot of water with boomer men. Baby-boom males are the archetypal corporate warriors. Perhaps they have been suppressing their own dreams, preferences and their desire to contribute to their community and society. It appears that once they retire, boomer men are looking forward to living life to the fullest, and realizing their abandoned dreams of adventure.
