1. Outline the positive social and economic impacts of an ageing population. (4)
Aging populations are those with a high, and increasing, population over the age of 65. The social benefits of this is that society may benefit from the accrued skills that the older generation have acquired over a long life. The elderly can also spend time engaged in voluntary work or helping children and grandchildren with childcare and other family responsibilities. This also has an economic benefit, as unpaid childcare can help families on low-incomes. Businesses can fill skill shortages in their labour force with older workers who are often prepared to work part-time and occasional hours. This can help make these businesses, and the economy as general, more profitable.
2. Suggest reasons for the rise in life expectancy over the last century. (3)
Life expectancy has grown as a result of the decline in infant mortality and a reduction in deaths from preventable diseases. Clean water and cleaner city air has helped reduced deaths from water-borne diseases and lung damage. Improving standards of living for working people have resulted in better diets through childhood and into adulthood, so increasing life expectancy. Finally, the invention of vaccinations for many diseases and the invention of antibiotics has meant that the common causes of death in the 19th Century were nearly eradicated in the 20th Century.
3. “The UK Government faces a funding crisis as the population ages.” Discuss this statement, as well as suggest possible solutions to the problem. (8)
Britain has an ageing population which means there are a larger proportion of people living past the age of 65 and many into the 80s and 90s. This creates pressures on a the state pension system, as the government will need to pay out more pensions for longer periods of time while the pensions are funded by the exiting workforce. As people age they suffer from complex health issues which can place pressures on GP and hospitals. Social care, for those unable to care for themselves, is already looks set to become a major funding issue for government, and especially local councils who struggle to meet the needs of their elderly populations.
The government has responded to these issues by raising the pension age and asking workers in public sector pension scheme to contribute more. All workers are now required to contribute to at least one pension scheme. Currently, governments have not decided how to deals with the crisis in social care funding. One solution would be to increase taxes to pay for higher spending. These taxes could be levied on all workers and pensioners, or on large companies by increasing corporation tax.
In addition, expanding the workforce, by encouraging migration could increase the taxes available to government. These migrant workers who will be most likely young will not need to claim old age benefits and health care for many decades. while contributing to tax revenues immediately.
4. Explain why an ageing population is more expensive for a government than a youthful population. (4)
Aging populations have a larger proportion of people who are over the age of 65 compared to youthful populations which have a larger proportion of people at or below school age. Retired populations have more complex health needs than young people and so cost, on average, twice the amount in healthcare than non-retired households. Those over 85 cost three times the amount in NHS costs than those between 65 and 74. While education is relatively expensive its costs do not rise as sharply as healthcare, where new cures and treatments are constantly increasing cost pressures. In addition, while most young people tend to be cared for by their parents, many elderly people need expressive social care.
5. How has immigration helped address some of the issues associated with an ageing population? (4)
Immigrants tend to be of working age and often in the 20s and 30s. When they arrive in a country, such as the UK, they usually have relatively few health and other issues. As a result migrant tend to contribute more to the government coffers in taxes than they take out in services. Many migrants who have settled in the UK have begun a family in their new home. These children have increased the birth rate of the country and these children will themselves become workers in the future so maintaining or increasing the size of the working population paying the taxes that help support the elderly.
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