Overview

• OnePoll surveyed 1,000 children aged 7–16 in the UK for AXA Health’s Future You campaign.
• Respondents set the threshold for being “old” at 49 and pointed to listening to the radio (51%), watching daytime TV (48%) and moaning about aches and pains (45%) as key signs.
• Children cited aches and pains (56%), wrinkles (52%) and grey hair (49%) as the worst parts of ageing, with forgetting things (46%) and needing glasses (39%) also mentioned.
• Views skewed young: 15% said people in their 30s are old, 21% said fun stops at 30, 23% said people stop playing, and 12% believed over‑30s are too old for sport or exercise while one in 10 thought people stop exercising by 30.
• AXA Health’s Dr Pallavi Bradshaw said the findings reflect outdated perceptions and urged people to prioritise health at every age, as a video shows children surprised by active adults in their 40s, 50s and 70s.