ABSTRACT
In 2008, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) will be 50 years old. We have been called America’s most powerful lobby, the biggest organization in the world (with one exception: the Catholic church), the 800-lb gorilla of organizations. One thing is certain, though. AARP is the focal point and the center of knowledge about people over 50. With nearly 36 million members, our years of polling, thousands of interviews, countless focus groups and surveys, and with hundreds of aging and policy experts on staff, AARP is the information source for and about this group. We think of ourselves as the repository for data on our constituents’ attitudes, opinions, and behavior. Furthermore, we believe that if we want to continue to grow and enhance our “market share,” it is important as part of our future strategy to expand our knowledge, which ultimately supports our positioning as a positive force for society.
