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Latest Del Webb Survey Forecasts Active Boomer Retirement

The annual Del Webb baby boomer survey has become something of an institution over the past nine years. Get updated on the highlights of the most recent, 2005 poll.

For almost a decade now, the Del Webb (Pulte Homes) annual Baby Boomer Survey has won widespread attention from businesses and marketing professionals eager for a handle on baby boomer attitudes and the baby boomers' world. Revisiting most of the same key topics each year, the survey is now considered one of the most comprehensive temperature-taking exercises applied to this superlatively influential generation, that also represents the most powerful of market segments.

The company's 2005 survey, released in June, shows that baby boomers are still firmly committed to living vigorously no matter what their age. More activities, more amenities, and more friends sit at the top of most boomers' wish lists as they contemplate their options for retirement living and leisure.

Approximately 50% of Boomers ages 50-59 plan to purchase new homes for their retirement, according to this year's survey. They're looking for locations where they can enjoy lifestyles grounded in physically fitness and social activity. For some, remaining active may also include working beyond the traditional retirement age.

Del Webb says boomers have been buying homes in the company's active adult communities at a considerable rate, and claims the popularity of these sites is their provision of amenities that facilitate active lives. With America
's population of 55-to-75-year-olds expected to top the 80 million mark by 2020, the active adult market represents one of the fastest-growing segments in the housing industry.

The majority (59%) of younger Boomers indicate they intend to buy a new home for their retirement and remain within driving distance of family members. By their definition, quality of life rests on opportunities to travel, to spend more time with family/loved ones, and in some cases to enjoy a warmer climate. Almost half of all respondents who intend to move are planning to cross state borders; the most popular destinations all boast abundant sunshine. Results of the survey showed considerable continuity between young boomers (aged 41-49) and the older segment (aged 50-59). However, younger baby boomers were less likely to indicate intentions to downsize their homes on retirement. Their interest in amenities tended more towards luxury and less towards practicality than that of older boomers.

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