From data to action: Shaping age-friendly urban policies based on older adults’ satisfaction

In the world, declining birth rates and an ageing population have heightened the importance of developing age-friendly cities on a global scale. This study aims to identify the factors that influence older adults’ satisfaction with their urban environment and to assess the impact of these factors. To gather data, a comprehensive questionnaire survey was conducted in Erzurum, Türkiye, featuring detailed questions about the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics as well as their satisfaction levels regarding various elements of age-friendly cities. The analysis used the Generalised Ordered Probit Regression model, an advanced statistical method. The results revealed that sociodemographic factors, in particular, play a significant role in shaping older adults’ satisfaction with their urban environment. These findings are expected to offer valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners to develop targeted interventions to improve the well-being of this vulnerable population, drawing attention to groups that report low satisfaction with their urban surroundings.