How old is 'old'?

2:11 PM Tuesday Nov 20, 2012

Kiwis believe you're young until you're 35 but once you pass 62 - you're old, a survey has found.

Research New Zealand (RNZ) has asked 1002 New Zealanders aged 18-years about their perceptions around age.

RNZ director Emanuel Kalafatelis says the average New Zealander thinks a person is old when they reach 62. Women believe old age doesn't arrive until you're 64-years-old, while men reckon you're old by 60.

There's also a gap in the perceptions of NZ European/Pakeha and Maori/Pacific people as to when old age sets in. Kalafatelis says that difference reflects health outcomes that are experienced by the ethnic groups.

"Perceptions about age are undoubtedly related to one's experience," he said in a statement.

"It is a little disturbing to see that among New Zealand Europeans/Pakeha old age is thought to set in at 65 years of age, while among Maori/Pacific people, the perception is that old age sets in at 53 years of age, 12 years earlier."

On the other end of the scale, a person is perceived to be young until the age of 35. Men believe you stop being young from 33-years-old, while women think you remain young until 37.

Participants aged 18 to 34 say you're an oldie once you reach 26, but those aged 55 and over consider anyone under the age of 46 to be young.

How old is old?

- www.nzherald.co.nz, Newstalk ZB