Seniors don’t want to give up money for younger gen: poll
Posted December 15, 2011 10:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – More evidence that generational tensions are high; a poll finds seniors aren’t keen to relinquish publicly-funded services in order to help the struggling younger generations.
Seventy per cent of seniors asked felt they should be a top priority when it comes to doling out government cash.
UBC’s Paul Kershaw is surprised most of them say they know families are struggling. “Even so, 80 per cent of Canadians 55-plus say they have earned their fair share of the wealth produced by Canada’s economy and therefore deserve to enjoy the benefits.”
He believes the older generation might want to think about their kids a little more because they’re the ones who will deal with the consequences of actions we take today.
“As the baby boomers in particular approach retirement, they’re leaving larger government debts and an environmental record that isn’t that great. It’s going to be their kids and grandchildren who need to pay for it,” he says.
Kershaw notes the result is especially surprising, considering things like housing values and lower poverty rates have made it much easier to retire.
He adds Statistics Canada data show poverty among seniors has declined from 29 per cent in 1976 to less than five per cent in 2009. The poverty rate for families with kids under the age of six is 15 per cent.
The poll also shows 65 per cent of 18-44 year olds believe “a greater share of wealth produced in Canada should be invested in the next generation of families and children.”
