Question
The aging populations of more developed countries are going to cause social and economic problems in the future. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Is this a positive or negative development?
Sample answer
Most children born since 2000 may stand good chances to see their 100th birthdays next century. There is no denying that the aging populations are likely to cause social and economic problems, but it should not be viewed as something threatening or undesirable. After all, the effects of longevity on an individual and on the society as a whole are not clear.
It is a blessing to any person to live a long and healthy life. Extended years of lifespan must be a bonus to a man or a woman when families of five or six generations co-exist. Nevertheless, questions arise. As an individual, what sense could it make of being retired at 60 and living up to 100 years or longer? Would they still decide to dedicate their first two decades mainly to education, the next four decades exclusively to career and parenting, and the last 40 years solely to leisure, awaiting eventual death? Furthermore, if young people realize that they might live 100 years and in good shape, they might also re-think their roles in the society.
Likewise, the effects of people living longer remain uncertain in the social and economic context. A possible change is the distribution of years of the expected lifespan on the social and economic scale. It is interesting indeed to imagine how people's lives are going to be arranged. The most obvious would be the costs associated with health measures for the elderly, funding their retirement pensions and providing residential care accommodation. Financially speaking, even in developed countries, the changing age structure might be problematic. Governments alone probably cannot be relied on to carry the burden, and would have no alternative but impose additional income tax on the younger population, among other unpopular actions.
Now that the family planning program is in fashion, what does it mean to an individual and to a society in which half of the population is aged over 60? Added to this, modern people are enjoying the luxuries and comforts provided by technology, and therefore there are reasons to feel positive about prolonged life. The good news is that many people will live to see the real effects of the aging populations.
