ABSTRACT

Europe’s population is getting older; dependency ratios are set to double by 2060. Such transformations and demographic change pose major challenges and potential benefits for the economy. Addressing the call in the literature for further research into the supply side of the silver economy, this research contributes to the understanding of enterprises’ awareness of this growing market and its potential economic value. This research employs primary data from eight regions across seven European Union countries. Using semi-structured interviews, the unit of analysis is at the firm level and qualitative content analysis to analyse the rich data. While we find some firms are aware of the silver economy, many have a social/caring view. The awareness of the potential for enterprises to benefit from the silver economy is weak and there is a lack of awareness of training or other public supports at a regional level in the European Union.

摘要

欧洲的人口正在老龄化；到 2060 年，抚养比将翻一番。这种转变和人口变化对经济构成重大挑战和潜在利益。针对文献中关于进一步研究白银经济供给侧的呼吁，本研究有助于了解企业对这一不断增长的市场及其潜在经济价值的认识。这项研究使用了来自七个欧盟国家八个地区的原始数据。使用半结构化访谈，分析单位是公司层面和定性内容分析，以分析丰富的数据。虽然我们发现一些公司意识到白银经济，但许多公司都有社会/关怀的观点。企业从白银经济中受益的潜力意识薄弱，欧盟区域层面缺乏培训或其他公共支持意识。