Press Release: Del Webb Corporation
March 23, 2001
PHOENIX, AZ -- Americans will dramatically change their attitudes on aging and the aged in the next decade according
to a survey by one of the leading authorities on retirement. The poll results, issued in conjunction with the first
National Zoomer Day, underscore the desire by graying Baby Boomers to redefine and relabel retirement.
The study's key finding: Getting old is getting good and getting old is getting older. Aging Baby Boomers, who
began turning 55 this year, are identified as the catalyst for this attitudinal change.
``We have decided to celebrate the Baby Boomers' bold ideas about retirement by renaming these leading-edge, active,
savvy Boomers -- Zoomers,'' says LeRoy Hanneman, chief executive officer of Del Webb Corporation (NYSE: WBB), which
sponsored the survey. Webb is the nation's leading builder of active adult communities in America. ``Boomers are
truly zooming into retirement. And, to really give Zoomers a proper launching pad into retirement ... we are celebrating
the first ever National Zoomer Day with a number of events, petitions and proclamations.''
Hanneman said that the Zoomer Day survey revealed shifts in attitudes during the next 10 years will mean old age
will not start until near 80 and people in their sixties and seventies will be viewed as middle aged. Midlife crises,
usually associated with 40 and 50 year olds, will be postponed until age 64.
The study, which polled 1,000 adults, is part of Webb's ongoing efforts to monitor 76 million Baby Boomers' attitudes.
According to another recent study by Webb, 63 percent of America's Baby Boomers prefer to be called Zoomers rather
than Boomers. They believe the word Boomer is tired, overused and doesn't reflect their active lifestyles.
Nora Timson, a 54-year-old Zoomer at Sun City Grand, an active adult community near Phoenix, agrees totally with
the Zoomer Day poll. ``I currently compete in triathlons. I'm healthy. I'm active. And, I plan to be that way for
another 25 years.''
According to the survey, two-thirds of Americans believe there will no longer be a stigma or negativity associated
with aging. The same percentage believes the definition of old age will change in the next 10 years.
The survey results were released as a national petition drive was launched on National Zoomer Day to win support
to change the name of Baby Boomer to Zoomer. In addition, to date close to a dozen states have endorsed National
Zoomer Day 2001. The petitions and state proclamations will be given to the U.S. Congress to encourage a National
Zoomer Day 2002. Almost half of the U.S. Congress and President George W. Bush are all Zoomers.
Zoomer Day also saw ``Take Back the Beach Spring Break'' events in Florida and Arizona, two states long considered
the bedrock for retired Americans. Zoomers led extreme sports events and advocate banning the ``B'' word to mark
the first national Zoomer Day.
Despite the optimism Americans show about the future of aging in this country, the poll reveals they also believe
this prolonged vitality may cause new kinds of friction between younger and older Americans. Two-thirds of respondents
say it is very or somewhat likely that the generation gap will increase because older Americans will be competing
with younger counterparts for the same jobs and government resources.
In a more tongue-in-cheek look at aging, the survey asked respondents which song title best described their own
feelings or expectations about retirement. ``Born to be Wild'' was the song of choice by nearly half of all Zoomers
who will walk on the wild side when they retire. Yet, six in ten Americans under 35 are more likely than Zoomers
to expect a wild retirement. Those aged 65 plus opted for peacefulness (68 percent) with their preference for ``Sounds
of Silence.''
Consumer behavior expert David Wolfe, who has been writing about the influence millions of aging Baby Boomers will
have in America, has espoused ideas similar to the survey findings. ``The Baby Boomers have altered the workplace,
healthcare and leisure time over the last eighteen years and they will leave an indelible mark on how we view aging,
as well as, retirement lifestyles and living,'' Wolfe says.
The survey interviews were conducted by Roper Starch via telephone among a nationally representative sample of
1,000 adult Americans. The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus three percentage points.
Del Webb Corporation, based in Phoenix, is the nation's leading builder of active adult communities for people
age 55 and older. The company operates 10 active adult communities in markets including Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.;
Las Vegas, Nev.; Palm Desert and Lincoln, Calif.; Hilton Head, S.C.; Georgetown, Texas; Ocala, Fla; and Chicago,
Ill. The company also builds family and country club communities in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
SOURCE: Del Webb Corporation