“We’re an old country – with our best years ahead of us.” That’s how David Cameron once characterised Britain, as he set out his vision to “defuse the demographic timebomb” and use its energy to power the country forward. Yet new research for the Guardian shows many older people do not share his optimism about the future of our rapidly ageing society, amid growing concern about pensions, health and social care, rising living costs and marginalisation.

The survey shows that just 29% felt the standard of living of older people in the UK was currently at a good level, compared with 46% who disagreed. And the long-term outlook is even gloomier: just over 11% expect older people’s standard of living to improve over the next 20 years, against 79% who disagree. Over 70% do not believe older people’s overall quality of life will rise in the next two decades, compared with under 16% who do.