Adult learners study computing. (Jiji) LIFELONG LEARNING: Baby Boomers Keen on Self Improvement July 24, 2001 A thirst for new knowledge and skills is spreading among middle-aged and older people. Community computer classes everywhere are full to capacity, and there are waiting lists for some of the public lectures universities are putting on for adult learners. In both cases, the bulk of the learners are baby boomers, people of the so-called mass generation who were born just after World War II and are now in their early fifties. This generation is said to have a strong desire for self improvement aimed at enjoying a rich and varied life after retirement. At the same time, another feature of this generation is its great purchasing power. PC classes and public lectures are among the first businesses to exploit this trend. More and more new products and services linked to the mass generation's desire to learn look set to appear. Lines Form for Computer Classes The biggest target of middle-aged people's lust for learning is currently computing. Almost every building near main Japan Railways and private railroad stations seems to house a PC school, and the ranks of their students are usually dominated by baby boomers. There are even nationwide chains of schools that cater exclusively to people aged 45 and over. One of these, operated by an affiliate of a major computer maker, has seen its student numbers rise rapidly, passing 6,000 in spring 2001, some 10 times the number two years ago. The baby boomers' hunger for learning is also spreading to universities. The Society for the Study of University Public Lectures, an organization linking universities nationwide that hold public lectures for adult learners, reports that five years ago it had 35 member institutions but now has 75, more than twice as many. The number of people attending such classes has shot up to about 700,000. The Hachobori School of Waseda University's Extension Center, for example, which opened in a former elementary school in Tokyo's Chuo Ward in spring 2001 as part of the center's expansion plans, runs over 100 courses on subjects ranging from international affairs to medicine and the history of Edo/Tokyo and has about 2,600 students. It is so popular that there are waiting lists for some classes. Baby boomers are at the heart of things in every case. There are some 6.95 million Japanese who were born just after the end of the war between 1947 and 1949. That figure is 46% higher than for the preceding three-year period and 16% higher than the proceeding one. This group's numbers give it the power to create new demand and trends. When these people were in their twenties they caused a boom in casual clothing, while in their thirties they popularized the home-owning and small-car-driving "new family." Now they have turned their attention to learning. Desire for Self Improvement The Cabinet Office's 2001 White Paper on the Aging of Society cites "a high interest in lifelong learning" and "a strong ability to adapt to IT" as features of the baby-boomer generation. One point worth noting is the reason for the boomers' desire to learn: Although it might have been thought that their goal was to find employment again in a world where computing skills are becoming essential, surprisingly this is not the case; they say they are learning to improve themselves. According to an opinion poll on lifelong learning conducted by the government in 1999, among those in their fifties only around 10% cited standing out at work as a goal of lifelong learning, compared with 25% who cited the aim of improving their family or daily life or community.   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend One analyst at a private-sector polling firm explained the trend as follows: "The baby-boom generation is now focused on what to do after retirement and increasingly wants to learn new things." Another analyst commented that the mass generation that started their careers toward the end of the high-growth era, "have a different attitude from the previous generation, who were single-mindedly focused on work. There is a strong tendency for them to place more importance on their lives outside of work." A survey of monthly spending on learning by different age groups shows that people in their fifties spend some 25,000 yen a month (200 U.S. dollars at 125 yen to the dollar), far more than any other age group. These moves toward "self renewal" or "self improvement" are gathering momentum and are set to influence consumption trends as a whole. For example, package tours aimed at baby boomers are no longer marketed as simple vacations but as voyages of discovery with such monikers as "a journey to discover Buddhist culture." Learning is now an essential element of such tours. The economic and social impact of the trend for learning among baby boomers looks set to spread further. Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.