To clarify the relationship between planned and preferred age for retirement, concurrent trends in the measures for a sample of workers were compared. Workers generally preferred to retire sooner than they planned to, and preferences were revised over time, tending to converge with the planned age for withdrawal from work. (Author)

Changes in retirement attitudes tend to be relatively insignificant. Selected occupational categories differ, however, as do employed and retired persons at the end of the 10-year study. Also, results vary somewhat by the item used to measure attitudes toward retirement, with more negative attitudes toward personal dimensions. (Author)