Perceived Income Adequacy among Elderly Retirees

Abstract

Previous research indicates that elderly people generally find their incomes to be adequate, even when those incomes are relatively low. This article explores the relationship between household income and multiple measures of perceived income adequacy among elderly retirees. The authors also examine the effect of older people's assessments of health on perceptions of income adequacy. Results confirm previous findings that older people assess their financial resources as adequate. Older people who assess their health more negatively, or who had experienced recent declines in health status, assessed their financial resources as less adequate than respondents in better health who reported similar income levels.