xt7q2b8vcd89 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7q2b8vcd89/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 1961 journals 105 English Lexington : Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Kentucky Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Progress report (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n.105 text Progress report (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n.105 1961 2014 true xt7q2b8vcd89 section xt7q2b8vcd89 Economic Status and Attitudes
  of Older Men in Selected Rural    
  and Urban Areas of Kentucky
Progress Ren-ort   I H A . '
s()ctober 1961 4  
By E. GRANT Yoomms  
Department of Rural Sociology A
I ii   CASEY COUNTY * I
K UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY I
xmmrucxy Acmcuurmuu. mxrmnmsm smumom
_ LEXINGTON

 I Progress Report l05 October 1961
ECONOMIC STATUS AND ATTITUDES OF OLDER MEN IN
V, SELECTED RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF KENTUCKY
E. Grant Youmans
Filing Code: 26
University of Kentucky
Agricultural Experiment Station
Lexington
\
In cooperation with
I Farm Population Branch, Economic and Statistical
Analysis Division, Economic Research Service
U. S. Department of Agriculture

 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This is one of several reports based on a survey of older
persons made jointly by the Department of Rural Sociology,
University of Kentucky, and the Farm Population Branch, Economic
and Statistical Analysis Division, Economic Research Service,
U. S. Department of Agriculture. Assistance was provided by a
number of persons: S. C. Bohanan, James S. Brown, A. Lee Coleman,
C. Milton Coughenour, Thomas R. Ford, Joseph J. Mangalam, Earl
Mayhew, and Ralph Ramsey, all of the University of Kentucky; (
Gladys K. Bowles, James D. Cowhig, and Margaret Jarman Hagood,
and Donald G. Hay, all of the Economic Research Service, U. S.
Department of Agriculture; and John E. Dunkleberger, Paul J.
Jehlik, Ben T. Lanham, and Glenn C. McCann, all of Technical
Committee S-44.
Acknowledgment is made to Silvio O. Navarro, Director of
the Computing Center, and to David A. Sheets, Director of the
Office of Machine Statistics, University of Kentucky, for use
of tabulating equipment.
The survey on which this report is based is a contributing
study to the Cooperative Southern Regional Sociological Research
Project 8-44.

 CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...°.................... 2
LIST OF TABLES .¤°..,...°.......¤¤..°.° 4
h INTRODUCTION °..°.,°....°......°...... 5
Objectives and Procedures ..............°. 6
Sample o °... ° . ......... , ..¤¤¤°.. 7
ECONOMIC STATUS °.»... . ......°.¤.. » .,.u u 9
work and Retirement ..¤...... . . .¤.....¤ 9
Income °.°.°¤..............°°...¤ 14
Housing °.°.,°°..¤.....¤..°..¤¤°° 18
Property and Equipment °.°..¤.. . °.¤°°0¤.. 20
ECONOMIC LOSSES WITH AGE o ..¤....¤ 0 ..°.,..¤u 22
ATTITUDES O .¤.°»°¤.°...,..,0¤,¤° U .°¤° 26
Work ¤.°.¤ . .¤.¤.. . . . Q ..°¤.°¤u¤°¤ 27
Disengagement .¤°° . ..°. . . °....¤. 0 G 0 0 31
Deprivation . °°,°,°.°.°..,°...¤¤. Q o 34
Mental Outlook . ..°,¤.¤.........° U ¤ . 0 38
SUMMARY ¤°°.°¤°°¤°.°.¤....° ° .¤°°¤uh¤ 41
-3-

 LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Page
1. Selected Characteristics of Men Aged 60 and Older,
Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 . ,...... 8
2. work Status of Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey County
and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 ,,,, . ,¤,..,,.. l0
3. Reasons for Retiring Given by Fully or Partly Retired Men
Aged 60 and Older, Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky,
1959 ,.., . . ¤°,...¤,...,.°,....,. 12
4. Money Income for Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey County and
Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 .......... . . .... 15 `
5. Sources of Income of Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey County
and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 .............. 17
6. Housing Conditions of Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey County
and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 ....... . ...,.. 19
7. Estimated Value of Property and Assets Owned by Men Aged
60 and Older, Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 . 21
8. Ownership of or Access to Equipment and Facilities by
Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey County and Lexington,
Kentucky, 1959 . ..,,....,.,..... . .... 23
9. work Attitudes of Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey County and
Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 ................ 29
10. Disengagement Attitudes of Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey
County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 ........... 32
11. Feelings of Deprivation of Men Aged 60 and Older, Casey
County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 . .......... 35
12. Pessimism and Attitudes Toward the Future of Men Aged 60
and Older, Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 . . 40
-4-

 ECONOMIC STATUS AND ATTITUDES OF OLDER M N IN
SELECTED RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF KENTUCKY
INTRODUCTION
The well-being of older persons in the United States has
been studied from two major points of view. One view has stressed
the objective and external environmental conditions of older persons;
the other has focused attention on their subjective, inner life-
their feelings and attitudes, satisfactions and happiness. Careful
studies have revealed various patterns of interrelationship between
environmental conditions and subjective states. Some persons respond
quickly and intensely to certain aspects of their social environment;
others remain relatively detached and unresponsive. Some persons are
overwhelmed and defeated by adverse socio-economic conditions, while
others meet these setbacks with fortitude and vigor and attempt to
change or modify them. All persons, to some degree, m st cope with,
or adjust to, conditions and circumstances of their life situation.
Old age in the United States is a period of many changes. As
the individual enters the sixth, seventh, or eighth decades of his
life, he may lose relatives and friends through death and separations;
he may lose prestige and respect by being unable to participate in
many com unity activities; and he may lose status through loss of
-5-

 -6-
income, property, and savings. These changes are often accompanied `
by adverse changes in the subjective, inner life of the older
person..his feelings and attitudes, his satisfactions and morale.
Objectives and Procedures
This report is meant to add to existing knowledge about the
relationships between environmental conditions and the subjective
life of older persons. The major environmental conditions examined
were economic in nature. The subjective states, referred to here ‘ _
as attitudes, were inferred from responses of the subjects to l
statements concerning selected life situations.
One aim is to assess the changes in economic conditions and
attitudes which occurred with age. Almost all of the subjects in
this study grew up and have lived their adult lives in their present
communities. The patterns of age-changes in economic conditions and
attitudes will probably persist for some time and thus provide a
basis for anticipating the wel1·being of older persons in similar
circumstances.
This report has three objectives:
l. It provides some factual information on the economic status
and attitudes of older rural and urban men.
2. It examines some of the interrelationships between economic
status and attitudes.
3. It assesses the changes in economic status and attitudes
which occurred with advances in age.

 . - -7-
V §L¤E.2
e In 1959, men aged 60 and over in an area probability sample
of households drawn from a rural Kentucky county and men of com-
parable age ln a random sample of households drawn from a Kentucky
metropolitan community were interviewed in their homes. (No insti-
tutionalized persons were included in the sample.)
Casey county, with a total population of slightly over 14,000
persons in 1960, is a completely rural county located in the Southern
Appalachian Region about 75 miles from the nearest large urban center.
The metropolitan community, Lexington, had a population of about
130,000 persons in 1960.
The men ranged in age from 60 to 97, with a median age of 70.
Three-fourths of the rural men lived on farms, one-fifth in villages
or towns, and slightly less than one-tenth in open country but not
on farms. One—fourth of the urban men were nonwhlte, compared with
less than 1 percent of the rural men. Eight-tenths of the men were
married and seven-tenths were Protestant. The average number of
grades completed in school by the rural men was 5.1 and by the urban
men, 7.4 (Table l). The urban men had lived an average of 30 years
in their present community, compared with 60 years for the rural men.

 -8-
Table lo Selected Characteristics of Men Aged 60 and Older,
Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
 
Rural Urban
Characteristic Total G
(Casey County) (Lexington)
 
Noa Pct. gg; Pct. No. Pct.
Age
60-64 72 23 49 22 121 23
65-69 78 25 S4 25 132- 25
70-74 60 19 60 27 120 23
75 and over 102 33 57 26 159 30
Color i
white 312 100 170 77 482 91
Nonwhite * * 50 23 50 9
Marital Status
Married 253 81 168 76 421 79
Widowed 37 12 40 18 77 14
Never married 12 4 8 4 20 4
Divorced or separated 10 3 4 2 14 3
Religion
Protestant 210 67 180 82 390 73
Catholic 6 2 6 3 12 2
Jewish 1 * 3 1 4 1
Other 18 6 7 4 25 5
No response 77 25 24 10 101 19
Formal Education
0-4 grades 130 41 49 22 179 34
5-8 grades 145 46 74 34 219 40
9-12 grades 20 7 43 19 63 12
13-16 grades 8 3 33 15 41 8
17 grades or more 2 1 8 4 10 2
No response 7 2 13 6 20 3
Total cases (312) (100) (220) (100) (532) (100)
 
*Less than 0.5 percent.

 -g-
ECONOMIC STATUS
The economic status of the men is assessed from their responses
to a variety of questions concerning work and retirement, income,
housing conditions, and property and equipment,
work and Retirement
Labor Force Participati0n° The men surveyed were asked to state
their present major occupationq Almost half the men (48 percent)
were in the labor force, slightly less than half (46 percent) were
retired, and the remainder reported they were unable to work (5 percent)
or were doing housekeeping work (1 percent)°
A A larger proportionl of rural than of urban men reported they were
in the labor force (52 and 42 percent), and, conversely, a larger pro~
portion of urban than of rural men said they were retired (54 and 41
percent)¤ The employed rural men were engaged mainly in farm work,
and the employed urban men were equally divided between white collar
and manual workers (Table 2)¤
The men who reported themselves in the labor force were asked
if they considered themselves partly retiredo About one~fourth of
the total sample of men said they were partly retired, Thus, about
lThe 0.05 level of probability was used in testing the signifi-
cance of differences, Differences which are not statistically
significant but supply supporting evidence are referred to as
slight or negligibleo

 -10-
Table 2. work Status of Men Aged 60 and Older,
, Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
k Rural Urban
W Stt:
or a Us (Casey County) (Lexington) Total
 
Percent Percent Percent »
Business and professional 7 18 ll
Clerical and sales —- 3 1
Nonfarm skilled and
semi-skilled 1 18 8
Farm operator 43 l 26
Farm labor l 2 2
Housekeeper 1 2 1
Unable to work 6 2 5
Retired 41 S4 46
Total cases (312) (220) (532)
 

 -ll-
seven·tenths of the men (72 percent) were fully or partly retired,
with very little difference between rural and urban men (75 percent
rural and 70 percent urban).,
Partial retirement appeared to occur at an earlier age among
rural than among urban meno About one·fourth (26 percent) of the
rural men aged 60 to 64 acknowledged they were partly retired, but
only 2 percent of the urban men in this age category made such a
report. Almost half (48 percent) of the rural men aged 65 to 69
said they were partly retired, but only 17 percent of the urban
men of the same age made this statemento
Reasons for Retiring; The fully or partly retired men were
asked why they had retiredu It is recognized that responses to
such a question may reflect faulty memories, since some of the sen
had been retired for many yearsu The largest proportion of the men
(66 percent) gave "health or not able to work" as the reason for I
retiring..a response which coincided with the chief reauons reported
in numerous recent studies of retirement in United States and
Englandoz The second largest proportion of the men (16 percent)
gave "age" as the reason for retiring, and small proportions said
"no work available," "wanted to retire," "retirement pension," and
"company policy" (Table 3)¤
Zwilma Donahue, Harold Lo Orbach, and Otto Pollak, "Retirement: I
The Emerging Social Pattern," in Handbook of Social Gerontology
edited by Clark Tibbitts (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1960), po 356,

 -12-
Table 3. Reasons for Retiring Given by Fully or Partly Retired Men
Aged 60 and Older, Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
 
Reasons for Rural Urban
Total `
R€€iTi¤8 (Casey County) (Lexington)
 
Percent Percent Percent
Health or not able to work 83 40 66
Age 6 30 16
No work available -· ll 4 _
wanted to retire —· 9 3
Retirement pension 3 S 3
Company policy * S 2
No response 8 -- 5
Total fully or
partly retired (234) (153) (387)
 
*Less than 0.05 percent.

 -13-
The reasons given for retirement indicate that poor health was a
more important factor in the retirement of rural than of urban workersu
For example, more than twice the proportion of rural retired men as
of urban retired men said they retired for health reasons (83 and 40
percent, Table 3)¤ In contrast, "external" factors were decidedly more
important in the retirement of urban workersg For example, almost S
times the proportion of urban retired men than of rural retired men
named such reasons for retiring as age, no work available, and company
policy (46 and 6 percent, respectively, Table 3)¤
The very large proportion of rural retired men who gave health
reasons for retiring suggests that rural men may be less healthy
than urban men and are thus obliged to withdraw either partly or fully
from their usual work rolesr The men in the study were asked a ques-
tion which probed their health statue: "Do you now have any ailment
or health condition that bothers you either all the time, or off and
on?" A larger proportion of rural men than of urban men reported they
were bothered with health ailments (72 and 53 percent)u This difference
between rural and urban men in health status (15 percentage points) was
markedly less than the difference between rural and urban retired men
who gave health reasons for retiring (Q3 percentage points)r
It appears that the large percentage of rural retired m n who gave
health reasons for retiring may be responding to factors other than
their health statusu Perhaps the arduous demands of farm occupations
play an important roleo It is generally recognized that agricultural
work requires greater physical exertion than most urban occupationeb

 -14-
with the normal decline in physical vigor and the consequent inability
to perform as well as in the past, the rural male probably is more
aware of his physical incapacities than the urban male, and he tends
to attribute this incapacity to poor health,
Income
Amount of Incomeo The men were asked to estimate the income
they and their wives received for the 12-month period preceding the
interview.3 (In the following discussion, the income of the men »
includes the income of their wives.) The average (median) income
for the total sample was $1,130. The median income for the men aged
65 and older was $968, which was substantially less than the median
income of $1,576 for men aged 65 and older in the United States in
1959,4 Four percent of the men reported they had no money income, I
and another 3 percent said they received some income but less than
$250 for the yearr Sixteen percent of the men reported incomes of
$3,000 or m re, and 4 percent of the respondents did not report
their income (Table 4). A
 
3Income reported was before taxes, and income from operating
a nonfarm business or a farm excluded production expenses, depreciation
on buildings, equipment, and machinerys A flash card was used and the
respondent was asked in which of the listed groupings the joint income
of himself and his wife fell.
AU. S, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports:
Consumer Income, Series P~60, Non 35, January 5, 1961, Table 23o

 -15-
Table 4. Money Income for Men Aged 60 and Older,
Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
 
1 b
Income 1959* §!£E' g£‘§E Total
(Casey County) (Lexington)
 
Percent Percent Percent
None 5 2 4
$1 - $249 5 ** 3
$250 - 499 19 5 14
$500 - 999 31 17 25
U $1,000 - 1,999 23 18 22
$2,000 - 2,999 8 18 l2
$3,000 - 4,999 4 ( 16 7
$5,000 and over 3 18 9
No response 2 _ 6 1 4
Total cases (312) (220) (532)
Median income ($815) ($2,256) ($1,130)
 
*Income reported by married men included the income of their wives.
**Less than 0.05 percent.

 -16-
The rural men received mamkedly less money income than did the
urban men in 1959. The average (median) incomes for the rural and
urban men were $815 and $2,256, respectively. (Ten percent of the p
rural men reported incomes of less than $250, but only 2 percent of
the urban men received this amount. Fifteen percent of the rural
men had incomes of $2,000 or more, but 52 percent of the urban men
reported this amount.
Sources of Income. The men were asked about the sources of
money income they and their wives received for the l2·month period
preceding the interview. (In the following discussion, income of
the men includes the income of their wives.) The interviewer read
a list of possible sources of income and the respondent indicated
which applied to him.
Seven-tenths of the men (71 percent) reported they received
income from employment, slightly less than seven—tenths (67 percent)
said they received income from retirement and pension systems. Slightly
more than one—thlrd (36 percent) received income from property and
investments, and one-seventh (14 percent) received some financial
assistance from relatlves (Table 5).
A slightly greater proportionrof rural than urban men reported
incomes from employment (77 and 62 percent), a larger proportion of
urban than of rural men received income from retirement and pension
systems (75 and 62 percent), and twice the proportion of urban than of
rural men reported income from property and investments (S0 and 25
percent, Table 5). Approximately equal proportions of both rural and
urban men received`financia1 help from relatives (14 and 13 percent). 1

 -17-
Table 5, Sources of Income of Men Aged 60 and Older,
Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
Rural Urban
Sources of Income* Total
(Casey County) (Lexington)
Percent** Percent** Percent**
Employment
Operating farm 61 4 37
Salaries and wages ll 45 25
Nonfarm business 5 13 9
Retirement and pensions
A Social security 42 55 47
County assistance 16 4 11
Private retirement 4 4 16 9
Property and investments
Interests and dividends 10 24 16
Rentals 8 17 12
Sale of property 4 4 4
Annuities 3 5 4
Relatives 14 13 14
Total cases (312) (220) (532)
*Sources of income reported by married men included the sources of
income of their wives.
**Percentages exceed 100 because of multiple responses.

 -18-
Housing
Type of Home and Ownership. Almost all (93 percent) of the men
lived in private homes, and a larger proportion of rural men than of
urban men lived in private dwellings (99 and 85 percent)° Ten percent
of the urban men and l percent of the rural men lived in apartments.
Five percent of the urban men lived in rooming houses or other kinds
of living quarters. More than sevenatenths of the men (73 percent) _
said they owned their homes, and a greater proportion of rural men
than of urban men made this statement (79 and 65 percent)° Eleven
percent of rural men and 29 percent of urban men said they paid rent.
The remaining proportions said they "lived free" in the homer
Condition and Upkeep of Homesu Interviewers rated the condition
and upkeep of the homes where the respondents livedo Less than half
the homes (44 percent) were rated in "good condition," and about
one*third (36 percent) were rated as "clean, neat, and attractively
furnished" (Table 6)° Y
A much larger proportion of urban than of rural men°s homes were
rated in good condition, that is, with no major defects (66 and 29
percent)¤ A larger proportion of rural than of urban men's homes were
rated as somewhat run-down and in poor condition (59 and 25 percent).
The remaining proportions of both rural and urban men°s homes were
rated as very dilapidateds Ratings of the upkeep of the men's homes
followed a similar pattern. A m ch larger proportion of urban than _
of rural men°s homes were rated clean, neat, and tastefully furnished

 llg-
Table 6, Housing Conditions of Men Aged 60 and Older,
Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
Housing Conditions Bgzél QEBEB Total
— (Casey County) (Lexington)
Percent Percent Percent
Living in private homes 99 85 93
Home owned by self or spouse 79 65 73
Condition of Home
In good condition, no major defect 29 66 Q4
, Some signs of dilapidation 41 15 30
Run-down and in poor condition 18 10 15
Very run-down, very dilapidated 11 9 10
No rating made 1 * 1
Ugkeeg of Home
Good, clean, neat, attractively furnished 24 53 36
Fairly clean, adequate furniture 49 28 Al
Somewhat unclean, unattractive furniture 19 12 16
Very unclean, very unattractive furniture 7 5 6
No rating made 1 2 1
Total cases (312) (220) (532)
*Less than 0,05 percent,

 -20.
(53 and 24 percent); a larger proportion of rural than of urban
men"s homes were rated as fairly clean with adequate furniture
(49 and 28 percent); and the remaining proportions of both rural
and urban men’s homes were rated as somewhat or very unclean with
unattractive furniture (Table 6).
Property and Eguipment
Estimated Value of Property. The men surveyed were asked to
estimate the money value of the total property and assets that they l °
and their wives owned. This estimate included the value of insurance
policies and other nontangible items, as well as real property. (In
the following discussion, property of the men includes the property
of their wives.) The average (median) value of the property reported
by the men was $5,055. Ten percent of the men said they owned no
property or assets, and ll percent reported they owned some but less
than $1,000. Seven percent of the men valued their assets at $30,000
or more.
The urban men valued their property and assets markedly higher
than did the rural men (median values $9,393 and $3,943). Four
percent of the urban men had no property, but 15 percent of the rural
men said they had no possessions. Fourteen percent of the urban men
had property valued at $30,000 or more, but only 4 percent of the
rural men placed this evaluation on theirs (Table 7).
gguipment and Facilities. The interviewer read a list of 14
items of equipment commonly found in American homes and the respondent

 -21-
Table 7. Estimated Value of Property and Assets Owned by Men Aged
60 and Older, Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
Rural Urban
Va1“€* Total
(Casey County) (Lexington)
 
Percent Percent Percent
None 15 4 10
$1 - $499 5- 9 7
$500 - 999 4 4 4
$1,000 · 4,999 34 17 27
' $5,000 - 9,999 18 15 17
$10,000 — 29,999 18 33 24
$30,000 ~ 99,000 3 9 5
$100,000 or more 1 5 2
No response 2 4 4 3
Total cases (312) (220) (532)
Median value of estate ($3,943) ($9,393) ($5,053)
 
*The value of the property reported by married men included that of
their wives and covered nontangible items as well as real property,

 azz-
indicated whether he owned or had access to the item, Slightly
larger proportions of urban than of rural men reported they owned
or had access to electricity, a radio, a mechanical refrigerator,
and an automobile, Equal proportions of rural and urban men reported
a home freezer and an automatic clothes washer in the home. M rkedly
larger proportions of urban than of rural men owned or had access to
the remaining 8 items of equipment listed in Table 8, i,e,, a gas or
electric range, piped water, television, running hot water, inside
flush toilet, bath or shower, telephone, and central heating, The V _
average (mean) number of items owned by or accessible to the rural
men was 5,3 per person and for the urban men, 11,1,
ECONOMIC LOSSES WITH AGE
For most people in the United States, old age means giving up
the normal roles of middle age and adopting those of later life,
Employed persons are expected to withdraw or taper off their economic
activities in their sixties and seventies, with a decline in their
economic activities, most older men experience loss in economic
status, To what extent does labor force participation decrease with
advances in age among older rural and urban men? what changes occurred
with the age of the men in income, in housing conditions, and in
property ownership? The "losses" are assessed by comparing the economic
conditions of the youngest men (aged 60 to 64) with those of oldest men

 -23-
Table 8.‘ Ownership of or Access to Equipment and Facilities by Men Aged
60 and Older, Casey County and Lexington, Kentucky, 1959
 
&& @9;*1
Item Total
(Casey County) (Lexington)
 
Percent* Percent* Percent*
Electricity 88 97 92
Radio 86 90 87
Mechanical refrigerator 80 94 86
Gas or electric range 54 92 70
Television 39 76 55
l Piped water 27 93 54
b Automobile 49 61 54
Running hot water 23 87 49
Inside flush toilet 17 89 47
Bath or shower 17 , 88 4 46
Telephone 13 82 41
Automatic clothes washer 33 35 34
Central heating 6 63 30
Home freezer 14 15 14
Total cases (312) (220) (532)
Median (5.3) (11.1) (706)
 
*Percentages exceed 100 because of multiple responses.

 -24-
(aged 75 and over). Differences between these two categories of ’
men are inferred to represent losses which have occurred with the
passage of time.
The most pronounced differences of an economic nature occurred
in labor force status and income. Among rural men, 88 percent of
the youngest men, but only 28 percent of the oldest men were in the
labor force. The proportions of urban men in the labor force, for
comparable age groups, were 76 and 18 percent.
As might be expected, differences in income between the youngest
and oldest men coincided with differences in labor force participation. _
Among rural men, the median incomes of the youngest and oldest men
in 1959 were $1,105 and $668, respectively. The median incomes of
the youngest and oldest aged urban men in 1959 were $3,333 and $1,399,
respectively.
The following question gave another index of economic loss experi-
enced by the men: "Have you used up any of your savings in the past
year?" Unfortunately, the men were not asked whether they had any
savings. However, alm st half the rural men (49 percent) and
slightly more than a third of the urban men (35 percent) said they
had used some savings in the past year. Among rural men, the propor-
tions who had used some savings varied slightly with age. Almost
equal proportions of both the youngest and the oldest rural men had
used some of their savings. Among urban men, in contrast, the use of
savings varied markedly with age. Twenty-nine percent of the urban
men aged 60 to 64 reported they had used some savings. This

 -25-
proportion increased to 45 percent among the men aged 65 to 69, and
then dropped to 39 percent among the men aged 70 and over.
The number of ite s of equipment in the homes varied markedly
with age for rural men but only slightly for urban men, Among rural
amen, the median number of items of equipment in the homes of the
youngest men was 5.9, and for the oldest rural men it was 4.3.
Among urban men, the median numbers of items of equipment in the home
for comparable age groups were 11,2 and 10,7,
The oldest men in the study owned markedly less property than
the youngest men. Among rural men, the median values of the
property owned by the youngest and oldest men were $5,417 and $3,555,
respectively, Am ng urban men, the median values of the property
owned by the youngest and oldest men were $12,272 and $7,916,
respectively,
A Housing conditions of the oldest men were slightly inferior to
those of the youngest mano A comparison of the housing conditions
- of the oldest and youngest rural men revealed no difference in the
proportions living in private homes, a slight difference in the
proportions who owned their homes (oldest 79 percent, youngest 89
percent), a slight difference in the proportions whose homes were
rated in good condition (oldest 25 percent, youngest 34 percent),
and a slight difference in the proportions whose homes were rated as
having good upkeep (oldest 18 percent, youngest 25 percent).
Among urban men, the differences in housing conditions were
more pronounced, A comparison of the housing conditions of the oldest

 -26- 4
and youngest urban men revealed a slight difference in the propor-
tions living in private homes (oldest 81 percent, youngest 90
percent), a substantial difference in the proportions who owned their
own homes (oldest 54 percent, youngest 69 percent), a slight difference
in the proportions whose homes were rated in good condition (oldest
63 percent, youngest 70 percent), and a marked difference in the
proportions whose homes were rated as having good upkeep (oldest
37 percent, youngest 61 percent).
ATTITUDES
As an individual grows older, he has to keep adapting and adjust-
ing himself psychologically to changing circumstances and conditions.
While most thoughtful persons recognize that such a process is a fact
of life, the research task of studying the phenomenon is extremely
difficult. For example, it would be a formidable task to obtain
data on changes in mental outlook of older persons which occurred A
with the passage of time. Such a task would require intensive
psychiatric examinations at periodical intervals, a procedure too
expensive for studying large numbers of persons.
The men in this study responded to a number of questions concern-
ing certain areas of day-to-day living, and these responses gave an
indication of their subjective feelings and mental outlook. They
were asked questions about work, about their willingness to disengage

 -2y-
themselves from work activities, about their feelings toward economic
deprivation, and about their general mental outlook.
This section of the report focuses on the following question:
"To what extent do the attitudes 05 the men vary with economic
status, with rural-urban residence, and with age?" The index of
economic status used consists of 14 items of equipment commonly owned
by and accessible to American families (Table 8). Those owning or
having access to 8 or less items were classified as low economic
status, and those owning or having access to 9 to 14 items were classi-
- fied as high economic status.
Work Attitudes
A number of investigators have suggested that work has lost its
I intrinsic value to many men in the United States and has become a
means of obtaining other values.5 It would be important to know
more about the attitudes of older men toward work. To what extent
are older men interested in obtaining paid employment? To what
extent do they value work for noneconomic reasons?
The men in this study evidenced little interest in work for
financial or monetary reasons. Only 17 percent of the total sample
of men indicated they felt the need for more opportunities to work
V
5Wi;Ta Donahue, H. L. Orbach, and Otto Pollak, op. cit.,
pp. 359- .

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for pay or profit (Statement 1, Table 9)° On the other hand, the
men appeared to place considerable value upon the noneconomic
aspects of work. For example, more than a third of the men (36 per-
cent) agreed that housewives whose children have grown up should get
a paying job so as to keep busy (Statement 2, Table 9), and 38
percent believed that "most people lose respect for a person who has
retired and does not do any work" (Statement 3, Table 9)¤ In
addition, two—thirds of the men indicated there was value in working
even if they did not need the moneyq They were asked if they agreed
or disagreed with the statement, "There is no sense in working if
you can get along without the money." Only one·fourth of the men
agreed with this statement, but two~thirds disagreed, a response
which probably revealed a belief that there is sense in working for
other than financial reasons (Statement 4, Table 9),
The interest of the men in work for economic reasons (i.e., for
pay or profit) varied slightly with their economic status and with
their place of residence, but more markedly with their age, A
slightly larger proportion of men of low than of high economic
status felt they needed more opportunities to work for pay or profit
(18 and 14 percent), On the other hand, rural men, who were of
rather low economic status, were slightly less interested than urban
men in more opportunities to work for pay or profit (13 and 22 p