How Age-Friendly Is Your City to You: Experiences From a Mid-Sized German City

TL;DR

This study evaluates how age-friendly a mid-sized German city is for older adults, finding that health and socioeconomic factors strongly influence their experiences.

Contribution

The study provides a validated German version of the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire and identifies key factors shaping older adults' perceptions of age-friendliness.

Findings

Older adults showed moderate satisfaction with age-friendliness domains, but significant variation existed between individuals.

Vulnerable groups with health and socioeconomic challenges reported the lowest age-friendliness scores.

Narrative responses highlighted mobility, healthcare access, and caregiving as major challenges for older adults.

Abstract

Urbanization and demographic change pose social challenges, underscoring the need for a systematic approach to assessing the age-friendliness of urban environments and the experiences of older adults within them. The purpose of this study was to provide a valid German version of the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ), which aligns with the WHO’s eight domains of age-friendliness, and to examine personal and contextual correlates of perceived age-friendliness in a mid-sized city. A representative sample of older adults (N = 905) assessed their city’s age-friendliness, with average scores reflecting at least moderate satisfaction in all domains, but also significant interindividual variation. A cluster analysis identified several distinct groups, including a group of rather vulnerable individuals facing health challenges and socioeconomic disadvantage — who reported the lowest age-friendliness scores — as well as a more affluent, healthier residents who rated their environment positively across all domains. Late life phase was also a factor, with very old adults overrepresented in the less satisfied groups. Narrative responses to open-ended follow-up questions specifically highlighted challenges in mobility, healthcare access, and caregiving support. Findings indicate that health conditions, living arrangements and socio-economic status may critically shape how older adults experience urban environments. These results emphasize the need for targeted policies to ensure urban environments are inclusive and accessible for all older adults. Additionally, this study underscores the value of systematic evaluations in shaping and monitoring urban policies that align with age-friendly principles.