Age

Age discrimination occurs when someone is treated unfairly because of their age or because they are part of a specific age group.

The Equality Act 2010 says that you must not be discriminated against because:

• you are (or are not) a certain age or in a certain age group
• someone thinks you are (or are not) a specific age or age group, this is known as discrimination by perception
• you are connected to someone of a specific age or age group, this is known as discrimination by association

Age groups can be quite wide (for example, ‘people under 50’ or 'under 18s'). They can also be quite specific (for example, ‘people in their mid-40s’). Terms such as ‘young person’ and ‘youthful’ or ‘elderly’ and ‘pensioner’ can also indicate an age group.

In 2021 children and young people 17 and under accounted for 19.5 per cent of the Plymouth population. The percentage of 20-24 year olds (8.0 per cent) is higher than that found in England as a whole (6.0 per cent). The proportion of the working-age (16-64 year old) population in Plymouth is 64.1 per cent - higher than that in the South West (60.7 per cent) and England (63.0 per cent). 18.5 per cent of people in Plymouth are aged 65 and older which is comparable with the England average (18.4 per cent) but lower than the South West average (22.3 per cent). 

Table 1: Numbers and percentages by age group in Plymouth, the South West, and England.

Plymouth

South West

England

Source: ONS – Census 2021

Ward overview

The wards to the west of the city, alongside Efford & Lipson, Sutton and Mount Gould and Plymstock Radford, have the highest numbers of 0-4 year olds (Figure 4). In contrast, wards in the east of the city, alongside Compton ward, have the highest numbers of those aged 85 and over.

There is forecast to be a significant change in Plymouth’s population structure over the next twenty years. Plymouth’s population is predicted to increase by 3.2 per cent by 2043. This will be due mainly to many more in the over 65 cohort (15,000) and under 25 cohort (2,500). However, this will be offset by the reduction in the 16-64 ‘working age’ cohort.  There are notable variations in the age groups particularly in the over 75’s, with the over 75 age group cohort alone predicted to rise by 60.3 per cent. This rise will see Plymouth’s over 75’s rise from 22,800 to 36,550.

Education

Young carers are the children and young people who take on the responsibility of caring for a family member, most often a parent or sibling, who have a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or a drug and/or alcohol problem. The latest Schools Census for Plymouth identified 599 young carers within Plymouth.

Work

As of September 2022, 5.2 per cent (346) of young people aged 16-18-year-old are classed as Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), with 3,698 Universal Credit (UC) claimants aged 16-24-year-old in Plymouth (July 2022). NEET rates are also particularly high amongst young people with experience of the care system or criminal justice system, those with a physical or learning disability, those from low-income families or those who are young carers.  

According to the Centre for Better Ageing, a third of the workforce in England are aged 50 or over, nearly 9 million workers. Their research found that more than a third of 50-70 year olds feel at a disadvantage when applying for jobs due to their age. Ageism in the workplace can have a significant long-term impact on financial security and wellbeing in older age.

Living Standards

The latest data shows that in Plymouth in 2021, there were 9,866 children under 19 years (16.3 per cent) living in relative low income families, before housing costs are removed. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation[1], children have the highest rate of poverty (29%). National data shows that around 18 per cent of pensioners live in poverty although this is lower than all other groups. Single pensioners are much more likely to live in poverty than those in couples.  

Health

Nationally the number of children and young people accessing mental health services is on the rise. In the 12 months leading up to March 2021, 572,912 children and young people had accessed these services. In the 12 months leading up to July 2022 this had increased by 20.4 per cent to 689,621[2].

With an ageing population, health and wellbeing needs increase; there is a higher burden of chronic disease, an increased susceptibility to the negative impacts of social isolation, and an associated raised need for health and social care services and carers.

In 2023, 3,690 people over the age of 65 were estimated to be living with dementia in Plymouth. By 2040 it is projected that this number will have risen to 5,163.[3]

Participation

Local research shows that both younger and older people can be affected by loneliness. In response to the question ‘how often do you feel lonely, one third of adult social care users surveyed in Plymouth reported feeling lonely some of the time (33.1%).

In the Plymouth City Survey 2022, nearly a quarter of respondents (24 per cent) agreed that they often feel lonely. Those aged ‘55-64’ (19%) and ‘65-74’ (18%) were significantly less likely to have agreed with the statement than those aged ‘16-24’ (33%) and ’25-34’ (28%). Responses varied by ward with residents in St Peter & The Waterfront (35%), Drake (35%) and St Budeaux (31%) significantly more likely to have agreed with the statement than those living in Ham (17%), Plymstock Dunstone (13%), Plymstock Radford (15%) and Southway (13%).

Two-fifths (40%) of respondents to the City Survey 2022 agreed they are aware of community activities/groups in their local area with younger people (aged 16-24) being significantly less likely to agree with the statement (23%). Just under a fifth (18%) agreed that they are involved in community activities/groups in their local area and those aged ‘75 plus’ (38%) were significantly less likely to disagree with the statement than those aged ‘16-64’ (51%-68%).