TEMPE, Ariz. (Feb. 27, 2019) – The mere consideration of moving to an active adult community makes people feel older, according to a new study from the market research team at Zion & Zion, a top-ranked, full-service, national marketing agency. For marketers, this presents a problem, however the data suggests a potential solution. The full report is available here.

The findings of the Zion & Zion research have implications for marketers of active adult communities:

  • 4% of adults ages 50 and over feel “older” than their actual age, and 7.1% feel “significantly older.” This rises to 43.8% (older) and 29.0% (significantly older) when they consider moving into an active adult 55+ community.
  • When considering moving into one of Jimmy Buffett’s Latitude Margaritaville communities, people feel older at a much lower rate—32.6% (older) and 19.9% (significantly older)—than those considering a typical active adult 55+ community.
  • When considering an “Island Themed” community (without mentioning Buffett or Margaritaville), people feel older at a rate almost identical to the Buffett/Margaritaville community—31.4% (older) and 22.0% (significantly older).

This Zion & Zion study was based on a series of nationwide surveys of 3,254 adults ages 50 and over, to understand how a person’s perception of themselves as being older than their actual age comes into play when they consider moving to an active adult community. Authors of the study are Aric Zion, MS; Peter Juergens, MA; Morgan Gardea; and Fred Petrovsky, MFA.