The experience of preparation for retirement in the modern pensioners’ attitudes

Abstract

The article presents the results of the authors' sociological research aimed at studying the attitudes of pensioners, regarding the preparation for retirement and the factors determining the formation of such attitudes. Primary empirical data were collected using the method of personal formalized interviews using a structured questionnaire (n=340). The respondents were pensioners: women aged 58-92 and men aged 63-87. Five attitudes, regarding the preparation for retirement, were described. It was determined that the relative majority of respondents (34.8 %) shared and implemented in their lives the attitude to preparation for retirement, that is, they were convinced that there was no sense to prepare for retirement in advance and did not take any action in this direction. The opposite attitude, which implied confidence in the expediency of the preparation for retirement and specific actions to prepare for it, was implemented by 25.7 % of the surveyed pensioners. It is concluded that the respondents' choice of attitude towards the preparation for retirement is not directly related to the respondents' socio-demographic characteristics (gender, marital status, presence of children, respondent's household structure, level of education), but depends on the pensioners' ideas about life in retirement. The attitude towards the preparation for retirement is shared predominantly by pensioners who construct a positive lifestyle in retirement. This image is more often formed by pensioners who have satisfactory and good health and an average and high levels of financial situation.