For people approaching retirement age, driving across the Bay may make them more likely to make new friends. According to a survey released by the American Association of Retired Persons, Tampa Bay residents aged 50-64 were more likely to report it’s easy to make new friends if they regularly commuted outside of their communities.
More than half of respondents, 53 percent, who crossed the Bay daily or weekly agreed that it was it was easy to make friends and meet people in the region. Conversely, only 41 percent of those who rarely travel outside of their communities reported making friends easily.
In a similar trend, 38 percent of bridge-crossers reported they were involved in several activities while only 19 percent of those who rarely cross the bridge into or out of Tampa reported active involvement.
“This survey may strike a lighthearted tone in some respects, but it illuminates an important issue – how can we engage residents of Tampa, St. Petersburg and other Bay communities more deeply in the life of the local community,” said Jeff Johnson, AARP’s Florida state director. “Extensive research shows that communities flourish in many ways when residents engage with their neighbors, local businesses and local politics.”
The survey also showed a correlation between eating locally verses dining in chain restaurants. Of those surveyed who preferred local restaurants, 52 percent reported making friends easily while only 42 percent of those who prefer a chain reported the same. And 36 percent of those who eat local said they were engaged in community activities while only 18 percent of chain restaurant goers reported the same.
The survey also showed that people between 50 and 64 love living in Tampa Bay. Nearly three quarters of respondents in both Tampa and St. Pete said they like their neighborhoods. People in St. Pete like their neighbors better than in Tampa. Sixty-four percent of St. Pete residents surveyed said they liked their neighbors while only 62 percent of those in Tampa do.
More St. Pete residents are proud to call St. Pete home than Tampans with 74 percent reporting they liked telling others where they lived. Just 71 percent of Tampa residents reported the same.
Despite the overwhelmingly positive sentiments expressed by Tampa Bay area residents about their homes, the same age group also reported inadequate services available. Fewer than half of respondents, 49 percent in St. Pete and 41 percent in Tampa, reported having “many excellent services available to meet my needs” in both Tampa and St. Pete.
Johnson said communities should begin focusing on this oft-ignored age demographic because nearly eight in 10 respondents said “it would take a lot” to get them to move away from their Tampa Bay communities.
“Think through the policy implications of that,” Johnson said. “Tampa Bay residents aren’t leaving – they will live out their lives here. Community leaders on both sides of the bay should focus attention on how to make this a great place to live at any age. Issues such as getting where you need to go, making friends or connecting with others tend to get worse as people grow older.”
The survey conducted furthers a new AARP initiative aimed at expanding resources to the younger demographic of an aging population.
He suggested Tampa and St. Petersburg join the AARP-WHO Age-Friendly Network of Communities, a group of cities, counties and regions that have joined together to share data, best practices and resources to make their communities more livable for people of all ages.
The survey found one key area where St. Pete seems to be pleasing its near-retired residents: transportation. Some 64 percent in St. Pete agreed it was easy to get around in the city, compared to 41 percent in Tampa.
