Older People and Aged Society in Japan #3 When Do Older People Feel Fulfilled?

The Public Opinion Survey on the Life of the People by the Cabinet Office (conducted in August 2024, published in January 2025) aims to capture people’s awareness and needs concerning their daily lives and families and to use the data as a basic resource for the administration of the government. This survey has been carried out almost every year since 1957; in 2024, it was conducted with 3,000 people (response rate: 61%).

The survey covers various topics, such as levels of satisfaction with current life and worries/anxiety. In this blog, I’d like to focus on a sense of fulfillment.

 

Q5. When do you feel fulfilled in daily life? Please select all that apply.

(%)

Age group	Resting/ relaxing	Time with  family	Engaging in  a hobby/ sport	Time with  friends	Working	Studying,  learning	Serving the  community,  social activity
20 - 29	55.1	32.7	63.6	66.4	20.6	21.5	1.9
30 - 39	54.5	63.6	55.7	42.6	27.8	12.5	2.3
40 - 49	55.4	66.3	47.5	36.3	32.9	17.5	6.7
50 - 59	56.7	51.8	45.9	36.2	36.8	12.7	6.8
60 - 69	54.1	47.0	48.0	38.7	31.2	12.9	8.6
70+	53.7	33.5	39.7	44.6	17.8	10.9	13.2

Excluding “others” and “no answer”

 

(Source)

Public Relations Office, Cabinet Office. Public Opinion Survey on the Life of the People (August 2024).

Table 11 (Q5) When the respondents feel fulfilled                                

https://survey.gov-online.go.jp/living/202412/r06/r06-life/ (in Japanese)

 

These data show several interesting points.

First, the results are similar for those in their 50s and 60s. The proportion of the respondents selecting “time with family” is 51.8% for those in their 50s and 47.0% for those in their 60s. They are both higher than “time with friends,” 36.2% for those in their 50s and 38.7% for those in their 60s.

Also, relatively high proportions of people in their 50s (36.8%) and 60s (31.2%) chose “working.”

 

As for those aged 70+, they are less likely than the other age groups, except for those in their 20s, to choose “time with family” (33.5%). It may be because they tend to live alone and have fewer opportunities to spend time with family to begin with.

The proportion of those choosing “resting/relaxing” is slightly lower in this age group (53.7%) than the others. Moreover, those aged 70+ are more likely to choose “time with friends” than the other age groups, except for those in their 20s, suggesting their preference for an active communication.

If people have an idea like “older adults are inactive and are satisfied with such a lifestyle,” it could be a bias against them.

 

Meanwhile, the relatively low proportion for “working” (17.8%) and high proportion for “serving the community and social activity” (13.2%) may reflect lower employment rates and more free time among older people. Those aged 70+ are also less likely to choose “hobby and sport”: they may have fewer opportunities to engage in sports.

 

Overall, the data suggest that people in their 60s look more like those in working age than the traditional image of “older people.” Also, compared with the other age groups, people in their 70s tend to find a sense of fulfillment in human relationships, such as spending time with friends, rather than taking it easy and relaxing by themselves.  

＜Written by Shinichi  Ogami＞