Neighborhood quality and the older elderly: Theory and two pilot tests

Neighborhood quality ratings among those 75+ years old are compared with their 50-74 year old counterparts. Using a sample of 400 from central New Jersey and a national sample of about 20,000, I find that the older elderly have constructed elaborate mental models of their environment that incorporate feelings and emotions about their home, ethnicity/race, religion, and the nation, as well as their perceptions about their neighborhood. About 30-40% of respondents have quite positive perceptions of their neighborhoods along with similar perceptions of their other environments and their own lives. Ten to 15%, however, do not. Their neighborhood quality ratings are fair or poor and many are not happy with their home or spiritual environments. Assisting this second group is a major challenge.