Survey on the Socioeconomic Consequences of the Ageing of Population 1984
This study is the Philippine component of the Socio‑Economic Consequences of the Ageing of the Population, one of the seven projects of Phase III of the ASEAN Population Programme conducted in 1984‑1988. It aims to:
- Determine the pattern in age structure of the population and to make projections into the future.
- Ascertain the implications of the ageing of the population in terms of labor force, employment, health, and other social needs.
- Pinpoint the present problems facing the aged living in various environment settings be it urban or rural.
- Review and evaluate the existing policies and programmes on employment, social security and other economic support systems, recreation, health care for the elderly in the context of general development of countries.
- Create greater awareness among policy makers and planners of the demographic trend and consequences of the ageing of population and to influence the administration into formulation of appropriate population responsive policies.
The main respondents for this survey are persons whose ages are 60 years and above. Sample areas were chosen on the basis of the presence of such respondents, the predominant language spoken in that area as well as its urban-rural classification. For this study, there were six (6) survey sites chosen from areas whose predominant dialects are mostly Ilocano, Tagalog or Cebuano.
For the rural sample, the highest density of elderly persons as well as their ethnic representation served as guides in the final selection of sample areas.
The urban sample, on the other hand, was obtained from three (3) areas within Metro Manila, again on the basis of the dominant language in the vicinity. The data used in the selection process were obtained from the Population Migratory Movement and Development Survey of the University of the Philippines Population Institute.
In both cases, one eligible respondent per household was interviewed. In cases where two or more eligible respondents were members of the same household, the one whose first name begins with the lower(est) letter in the alphabet was chosen.
Respondents were classified as either Type A or Type B, based on the presence of a married woman of reproductive age (MWRA) or an adolescent in the same household. This was required of Type A respondents only. Type A respondents were asked questions on two main topics, namely:
- Characteristics of the elderly, Planning for old age, Implications of ageing, and Programs for the elderly;
- Population‑related communication with MWRAs and adolescents, which are the concern of the population component.
Similarly, Type B respondents were asked questions on (1); but got only an abbreviated version of (2).
All in all, there were 2,239 interviews conducted. This sample size consists of 1,321 elderly respondents, 470 MWRAs and 448 adolescents. Separate data files for the Elderly, the MWRA and the Adolescent were created for analysis.