Boomer Women Growing Less Optimistic Yet More Resilient During Recession According to VibrantNation.com Research
2009-11-10 19:35:03 -
While the recession is testing this generation of Boomer women’s beliefs, they are more than up to the challenge with nearly 8 out of 10 reporting that “the older I get, the more resilient I become.” This insight is one of the many garnered from a new resilience survey conducted by VibrantNation.com : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , the leading online community
for smart, successful women over 50.
“Boomer women are in fact growing more resilient during hard times and their coping strategies and belief systems are reaching new levels of effectiveness in the face of challenge and change,” said Stephen Reily, Vibrant Nation Founder and CEO. “This influential and fast-growing demographic, who we’ve termed ’Vibrant Women,’ value their own spirituality and ability to adapt when times get tough despite their eroding trust in resources they say they can no longer count on, such as financial advisors, Social Security, religious institutions and pop psychology.”
On a spiritual level, Boomer women are finding their own paths to allow spirituality to support them during the recession and are accepting that they can’t control everything that happens.
- Only 4% of those surveyed report that they are spending less time and/or placing less importance on spirituality now than before the recession.
- Twice as many respondents (60%) believe that while they might influence the things that happen to and for them, the ultimate outcome is in God’s hands. Only 26% believe they create their reality and that if they think positively, they will get what they’re asking for.
- While 68% report that they are less optimistic in regards to their expectations about the future than they used to be, more than half of this subset “accept” this.
- 44% find inspiration in the beliefs and philosophies learned from books, speakers, coaches, workshops or other sources outside of organized religion while only 23% find inspiration from their current religious communities and only 8% find inspiration from the religious communities in which they were raised.
- 50% of the respondents turn to personal prayer and meditation to keep their spirits up, with only family (61%) cited as a larger factor when it comes to influences that help them keep their spirits up during these challenging times.
On a financial level, Boomer women share increasing concern about their own financial and health benefits, and distrust of those who advise them on financial issues.
- 62% are increasingly worried that they will not receive the same level of Social Security and Medicare benefits that their parents did.
- 67% either trust their financial advisors and institutions less than before the recession or never trusted them in the first place.
According to VibrantNation.com Senior Strategist Carol Orsborn, “The survey results are in keeping with the Boomer generation’s history of scrappy adaptation and resourcefulness, even when it comes to the issue of reinventing resilience. Drilling down more deeply, we begin to get a picture of the belief set that can allow resilience and eroded optimism to co-exist in what is emerging as the dominant psycho-spiritual ethos of respondents. There is cause to celebrate that whether optimism is eroded or positive thinking intact, the resilience of Boomer women continues to expand.”
Survey results came from more than 500 smart, successful women aged 50-70 who are VibrantNation.com members, e-newsletter subscribers, Facebook fans and Twitter followers.
About VibrantNation.com
VibrantNation.com is the leading online community devoted exclusively to the influential and fast-growing demographic of smart, successful women over 50. At Vibrant Nation, these women (whom we’ve named “Vibrant Women”) can look for tips, share information, and join smart conversations about work, style, relationships, wellness, books, and more. For more information, visit www.vibrantnation.com :
cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. .
Media Contact:VibrantNation.comCeci
Conway, 502-568-5555
ceci@vibrantnation.com : mailto:ceci@vibrantnation.com
