Those who have retired fall into one of five main personality types – including ‘short break Steve’ and ‘care-a-lot Carol’, according to a study. Research of 1,000 adults who have retired in the last 10 years revealed 30 per cent like to explore the opportunities found in other cities and countries.
Almost three in 10 (28 per cent) who identified with ‘care-a-lot Carol’ love nothing more than looking after the grandkids, pets and even neighbour's plants. It emerged that a further quarter resonated with ‘green-fingered Gary’, a gardening enthusiast who keeps their lawn in perfect condition all year round.
While 17 per cent of adults fall into the ‘active Annie’ category, due to their love for fitness. And 23 per cent identify as a ‘foodie Frankie’, adults who will engineer any excuse to have lunch out with friends.
Regardless of their personality traits, 29 per cent claimed to live a more active life since retirement than they did while working with little time left for prepping meals. A spokesman from food delivery brand Parsley Box, which commissioned the research as part of their ‘bringing you more time for the things you love’ campaign, said: “We’re all different and that’s what makes life, and retirement, fun.
“The research in our eyes puts the conversation beyond doubt that the years following deciding to retire can be some of the most interesting and fulfilling of your life. And with so many plans in place, it can often be difficult to fit everything in, with the research highlighting how many opt against much cooking from scratch to their busy lifestyle.”
Due to such full calendars and varied plans, 49 per cent find themselves unable to find the time to cook meals from scratch on a regular basis. While a third said they rarely cook from scratch at all, preferring other options such as eating out, or delivered meals to fill the void.
And interestingly, 18 per cent do not ever cook from scratch at all. A desire to enjoy quality food sees more than a quarter (26 per cent) eating out weekly or more, with a further one in six making a fortnightly trip to explore new dishes.
According to 78 per cent, quality food is important to their current lifestyle, with retirement bringing more opportunity to sample the best dishes on offer.
It also emerged 56 per cent believe keeping active is the key to retirement and 37 per cent reckon it’s essential to try new things to keep their later years interesting. While 76 per cent think the perception of retirement has completely changed in the last 20 years, with age no longer seen as a barrier to doing things, leaving older people more active than ever before.
While 54 per cent cite older adults now having grown up in a more modern age as the reason for the shift. One retiree who would fall into the ‘active Annie’ category is 74-year-old Rajinder Singh, better known as the ‘Skipping Sikh’.
Singh was awarded an MBE for raising £15,000 for the NHS following a series of viral videos during the initial Covid lockdowns, and now teaches skipping and hula hoop to school children. Rajinder Singh, speaking as part of the Parsley Box campaign, added: “I love cycling, running, walking, meeting people - that’s my hobby.
“I’m running this October for charity, and I’m doing it because it makes me happy; if you are fit, you can go and help others.”
TOP FIVE MOST IDENTIFIED RETIREMENT PERSONALITIES
- SHORT BREAK STEVE: Constantly on the lookout for a short break either in the UK or abroad
- CARE-A-LOT CAROL: Loves to look after the grandkids, neighbour's pets or even keeping people's plants alive when they're on holiday
- GREEN-FINGERED GARY: A gardening enthusiast who keeps their lawn and bushes in perfect condition all year round
- FOODIE FRANKIE: You make any excuse for a lunch meet up with friends
- ACTIVE ANNIE: You're hot on fitness and do numerous fitness activities every week
