Rural Longtimers and Oldtimers
- 03 May 2021
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Rural Longtimers and Oldtimers
- Updated on 03 May 2021
- 2 Minutes to read
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Rural Longtimers and Oldtimers
A collection of remote villages mainly in the Atlantic provinces, this group is about as rural as it gets. The householders are mostly older, empty-nesting couples and those living alone. Forty percent are over 65, most adults are out of the labour force, and nearly three-quarters of households contain only one or two people. Incomes are modest, but they’re enough for households to own a small single-detached house and enjoy an unpretentious lifestyle. These more senior Canadians like to fish, hunt and garden, for the camaraderie as much as the opportunity to put food on the table. Their hobbies are the old-fashioned variety: crafts, knitting and collecting coins and stamps. With most residents third-plus-generation Canadians, they share a tradition-bound lifestyle: their yards often have a small collection of older trucks, cars or boats. Not surprisingly, these folks have traditional media patterns, favouring TV sports, country music or classic radio, gardening magazines and community newspapers.
What they think about climate change
There is still some resistance to climate action in this group. It’s not affecting them directly yet, and acknowledging it means having to spend more money or change their lifestyle, which grows more difficult to do the older you get. They aren’t necessarily concerned about the specifics of climate change and don’t always care to engage in finding solutions unless it is part of their current lifestyle: they mind their own business and expect not to be bothered in return. However, individuals in this category usually live a simpler life and emit less GHGs than the younger, more affluent country-lite families or high society progressives. They understand that there is a need to shift to clean energy, but there is resistance to adopt and pay for new technologies and a lack of understanding of what it means. They see climate change as an issue that will affect the rest of the world, but not them personally. These folks prefer the old ways, so more phone calls and in-person interactions go a long way to win them over. If things are also made easy for them, like having solutions delivered to their door, they would be more inclined to participate, so long as it doesn’t interfere with their busy social life.
Top Issues
- Residential retrofits
- Active transportation
- Reduced water use
- District energy system
How to Talk to Them about Climate Change
"We believe in keeping this community healthy and strong. We're improving your wellbeing by reducing harmful pollution and making progress toward a more inclusive and accessible society by improving your access to transit as well as making your home more comfortable."
Resources
Resource: Sustainable Living and the Older Community: Engaging with seniors on climate change through trusted organizations. This report provides an overview of how seniors perceive and respond to climate change, and tactics that can be used for engaging them in climate action.
Case Study: Thunder Bay’s EarthCare program connected municipal employees directly with members of the community. They created working groups, each with a different focus on climate, to discuss impacts already being experienced and find community-based solutions for addressing them.
Resource: Communicating effectively with the centre-right about household energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Learn the DOs and DON'Ts of communicating to right-leaning community members and what language to use.
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