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. 2024 Aug 1;64(8):gnae060.
doi: 10.1093/geront/gnae060.

Questions About Aging and Later Life on Quora

Reuben Ng  1   2 , Nicole Indran  1
Affiliations

Questions About Aging and Later Life on Quora

Reuben Ng et al. Gerontologist. .

Abstract

Background and objectives: Gerontologists have yet to explore the types of questions individuals have about later life. Analyzing questions offers a unique perspective on how individuals make sense of age-related issues. Specifically, questions require people to articulate specific inquiries or doubts, thus providing an unfiltered glimpse into the public's concerns and priorities vis-à-vis aging. We conduct a content analysis of questions posted on Quora that pertain to later life.

Research design and methods: We compiled 2,950 questions posted across four topics on Quora: "Aging," "Senior Citizens," "Elders" and "Older People." After applying our exclusion criteria, 658 questions were left for content analysis. These questions received more than 250 million views. Both deductive and inductive approaches guided the qualitative analysis.

Results: Five themes emerged from the analysis. The biggest theme (30%; N = 195) dealt with 'Practical Concerns' (Theme 1). The next biggest theme (29%; N = 191) was about "Health and Well-Being" (Theme 2). Theme 3 was about the 'Prolongation of Youth' (16%; N = 110) and Theme 4 was about the 'Science of Aging' (15%; N = 97). Theme 5 covered 'Existential Concerns' (10%; N = 65).

Discussion and implications: There is a need to address concerns that the public has about aging, particularly those involving practical issues and health. Growing old is unavoidable and with the population aging at a rapid pace, assuaging such concerns is of paramount importance. By doing so, individuals can approach the aging process with greater clarity and an elevated sense of empowerment.

Keywords: Concerns about aging; Public gerontology; Public opinion on aging; Text as data.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Process of compiling questions about later life posted by Quora users.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Themes of questions about later life posted by Quora users.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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