Over the Hill at 67?

Today marks the 67th birthday of Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, and as tradition goes, The Marist Poll seeks to answer the question of whether or not Americans think Dr. Miringoff is old.

This year, Dr. Miringoff is not going to be happy.

While a majority of Americans (53%) consider someone who is 67 years old to be middle-aged, that proportion has ticked down from last year when 58% thought someone who was 66 was middle-aged. To compound matters for our fearless leader, the proportion of Americans who think his current age is old is up, 40% from 33% last year. Only 6% of Americans think a person who is 67 is young. This compares with 10% who thought 66 was youthful.

“I’m now surprised and disappointed by these numbers,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “I can only guess that people mistakenly think 67 is pushing 70.”

The most profound change has occurred in the perceptions of Americans ages of 30 to 44. 55% of these adults consider 67 to be old, up from 39% who, last year, said 66 was over the hill. Among Americans 45 or older, close to two-thirds (65%) say someone who is 67 is middle-aged, little changed from last year. However, more adults 45 to 59 (33% from 24%) and 60 or older (22% from 16%) say Dr. Miringoff’s age is old.

Among Americans 75 or older, 70% think someone who is 67 years old is middle-aged. 16% think Dr. Miringoff’s age is young, and 13% consider it old.

“I started this annual survey when I turned 39 and thought it was a clever way to demonstrate how a pollster comes to terms with middle-age,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “Now, 28 years later, the joke’s on me.”

Complete May 3, 2018 Marist Poll Release of the United States
Complete May 3, 2018 Marist Poll of the United States (Tables of Adults)
Marist Poll Methodology
Nature of the Sample