Continuity, distinctiveness, and the purposes of a long life: Empirical investigation of late life priorities

We are living longer than ever before. But is late life an extension of midlife or is it
a distinctive part of life with its own set of priorities? These questions are crucial in
order to develop policies to unlock the potentials of longevity. This project focuses
on late-life distinctiveness. Using data from the Danish Longitudinal Study of
Ageing, we investigate whether age-specific life priorities emerge among Danish
older adults, and how the manifestation of these is modified by factors like
socioeconomic status and employment. We also compare Danish and Australian
older adults in order to investigate, whether the Danish welfare model better allows
people to express their potential and manifest age-specific priorities. With a novel
combination of data analysis and a investigation of theoretical debates around implications of a long life, this project not only seeks evidence to analyze competing theories of adult ageing, but also promises novel insight into a growing
social issue.