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Chapter 1. Attitudes and Behavior Highlights Older Americans Are Happiest Life-Changing Events Are Common in the Lives of Older People People Aged 55-or-Older Are Less Cynical Oldest Americans Still Support Traditional Sex Roles Many People Aged 55 or Older Are Satisfied with Their Finances The Oldest Americans Do Not Desire Wealth Many Older Workers Have Little Retirement Savings Older People Are Wary of Federal Role in Health Care Older Americans Disapprove of Homosexuality Older Americans Are More Likely to Be Conservatives Older Americans Are Deeply Religious Older Americans Are the Biggest Consumers of Traditional Media Few Older Americans Become Victims of Crime Older Americans Enjoy an Active Social Life Chapter 2. Education Highlights Big Gains in Educational Attainment The Oldest Men Are the Least Educated Educated Women Will Reinvent Old Age Older Blacks, Hispanics Are Much Less Educated Than Non-Hispanic Whites Few Older Americans Are in School Most Older Students Attend College Part-Time Adult Education Is Increasingly Popular Chapter 3. Health Highlights Health of Older Americans Has Improved Greatly Older Americans Have a Sweet Tooth On an Average Day, Most Fiftysomethings Eat Out Food Safety Is the Leading Concern Most Older Women Take Vitamin or Mineral Supplements Many Older Americans Are Overweight Many Older Americans Are Physically Active Most Older People Once Smoked Confidence in Medicine Is Shaky Many 55-to-64-Year-Olds Lack Health Insurance Older Americans Spend Big on Health Care Arthritis Is the Top Health Problem for the Oldest Americans Acute Conditions Are Less Likely in Old Age Chronic Health Conditions Emerge in Middle Age Many Older Americans Have Disabilities Older Americans See Physicians Most Frequently Hospital Care Less Likely for Older Americans Home Health Care Is Growing Over 22 Million Americans Care for Older People Most Older Americans Support Physician-Assisted Suicide Heart Disease and Cancer Are the Biggest Killers Life Expectancy at Older Ages Has Grown Chapter 4. Housing Highlights Older Americans Have Pushed Homeownership to Record Levels Most Older Blacks and Hispanics Are Homeowners Among Older Americans, Homeownership Is Highest in the South Most Older Americans Live in Single-Family Homes Piped Gas Is the Most Popular Heating Fuel Amenities Are Many in the Homes of Older Americans Most of the Elderly Are Satisfied with Home and Neighborhood Many Older Americans Live near Open Space, Woodlands Housing Costs Are Greater for Renters Chapter 5. Income Highlights Incomes of Older Householders Are at Record High Many Older Householders Are Affluent Non-Hispanic Whites Have Higher Incomes Than Blacks or Hispanics Many Older Couples Are Affluent Big Gains for Men and Women Aged 65 or Older Among Workers, Older Men Command High Salaries Incomes of Older Women Are Low Education Boosts Earnings of Older Americans Most Older Americans Receive Social Security Poverty Rate Is below Average for Most Older Americans Chapter 6. Labor Force Highlights Fewer Older Men in the Labor Force From Age 60 On, Most People Do Not Work Labor Force Rates Differ by Race and Hispanic Origin Few Older Couples Are Dual Earners Few Working Americans Are Aged 55 or Older Part-Time Work Appeals to Many Among Men, Job Tenure Is Down Many Older Americans Are Self-Employed Many Older Workers Are Independent Contractors Nearly 3 Million Older Americans Work at Home Rapid Growth in Older Workers Chapter 7. Living Arrangements Highlights Married Couples Lose Ground with Age Households of Older Americans Differ by Race and Hispanic Origin Older Households Are Small Many Older Americans Have Children at Home Lifestyles of Men and Women Diverge in Old Age Among Women Aged 65 or Older, Married Are in the Minority Chapter 8. Population Highlights Women Greatly Outnumber Men in Older Age Rapid Growth in Store for Older Age Groups Older Population Lacks Diversity One in Ten Older Americans Is Foreign-Born Few Immigrants in the Older Age Groups In Most States, the Diversity of Older Americans Is below Average Mobility Rate Is Low in Old Age Chapter 9. Spending Highlights Older Householders Are on a Spending Spree Retirees Are Spending Much More Spending of Householders Aged 55 to 64 Is above Average Householders Aged 65 to 74 Can Be Big Spenders Householders Aged 75 or Older Spend Less on Most Things Chapter 10. Wealth Highlights Net Worth Is Up for Older Americans Financial Assets Peak among 55-to-74-Year-Olds Nonfinandal Assets of Older Householders Rose in 1990s Debts Increased for Older Americans during the 1990s Appendix L A Note on 2000 Census Data Appendix 2. For More Information