Anticipating the future? : an examination of public attitudes and behaviour towards financing care in 'old age'

The funding of long-term care arose on the political agenda during the early and mid 1990s. This debate often focused on the role of individuals in making financial provision for such care that might be required in their own later life. The establishment of a Royal Commission on Long-Term Care for the Elderly in 1997, and the Government's eventual response in 2000, has seen the debate move forward but not die down. This thesis examines the broad context within which the debate initially developed and reports on survey research, conducted in the mid 1990s, which focused on long-term care funding. Attitudes towards state, family and individual provision of care in old age were examined by a nationally representative survey of adults aged 25-70 in England and Wales. Financial behaviours are examined amongst a sub-sample selected on the basis of four contrasting attitudes. Public opinion, and attitudes and behaviours towards the funding of social care in later life were therefore explored during a period when the issue was being fervently debated in the UK. The findings are presented with close reference to the policy context within which the research was conducted. The full analysis presented focuses on attitudes, behaviours and intentions towards personal financial planning for care needs through pensions, housing assets and long-term care insurance. Implications of the findings for both current policy developments and future research are considered. The research methodology is discussed alongside the contributions of other academic domains, which points to the importance of further developing a life-span perspective in social policy attitudes research. This could support greater interdisciplinary working in this area.