According to a study, those over 60 in Germany are very involved in family and society. According to data from the German Aging Survey (DEAS) 2020/21, which is available to the newspapers of the Funke media group, they play an important role, for example, in looking after their grandchildren, caring for relatives and volunteer work.
A large proportion also state that they are very politically interested – in cities around 57 percent, in rural areas a little less (around 49 percent). According to the data, almost a third of older people who have a grandchild under the age of 14 participate in their care. At the same time, around 15 percent of those surveyed in the city and around 11 percent in the country also support family members in need of care. About 4 percent (city) and about 5 percent (country) care for relatives.
Older people also get involved outside of the family. More than a fifth of the 60 to 90 year olds in the city do voluntary work (about 23 percent). In rural areas, the rate is around 17 percent.
The German Aging Survey is a representative cross-sectional and longitudinal survey of people in the second half of life – i.e. people who are 40 years and older. The surveys are carried out by the Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences in Bonn. “Elderly people keep our country running,” Senior Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) told the Funke newspapers. “The commitment of the older generation benefits our whole society and keeps it together. We have to appreciate and recognize this enormous achievement.”