What Do You Mean, 'How Do I Feel about Ageing?': Exploring Ageing Concepts on the Island of Gozo

Malta is experiencing a strong trend toward population ageing. In 2014, the government implemented an active ageing policy designed to address the perceived economic and social ramifications of an ageing population. In a commitment to break away from perceptions of ageing that equate with infirmity and decline, the policy underscores independence, productivity, and activity as meaningful goals in later life. Ethnographic data gathered from conversations with both Gozitan-born and English expatriate retirees (UK expats), investigated their perceptions of ageing. Tensions were revealed between the active ageing paradigm and core values and notions of personhood favoured by older adults. Respondents resisted identification with an ageing cohort, whilst valuing a safe and relaxed lifestyle and intergenerational social and familial relationships. These early findings destabilise the neoliberal and universalistic claims of the active ageing-paradigm, raising questions for further research.