Study Shows That Long Island Is Entering A Period of Social And
Economic Crisis As Baby Boomers Retire

OAKDALE, NY – Dowling College President Robert J. Gaffney termed a study prepared by the Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute (LIESP) at Dowling College about aging on Long Island as “alarming.” The study will be formally released Friday morning, October 26 at LIESP’s monthly Roundtable about Long Island’s future, being held at Newsday in Melville.

The report titled, “Aging on Long Island: A Crisis In Its Infancy” was prepared by LIESP Director Martin Cantor and showed that the only demographic group on Long Island that will grow during the next 20 years will be aging baby boomers.  Mr. Cantor said “as baby boomers leave their youth behind, there will be fewer Long Islanders around to replace them in the regional workforce.”

The study revealed that between the years 2005 and 2025, those in the region over age 65 will increase their representation in the regional population from 13 percent in 2005 to 19 percent by 2025, a percentage increase of 46.2 percent.  In vivid contrast, those of ages up to 20 years decrease from 27 to 24 percent of the population, or an 11.1 percent drop, while those between 20 to 65 years of age reflect a 5 percent decrease from 60 to 57 percent.

Mr. Cantor said that, “should these trends continue, Long Island would be in the dire economic and sociological situation of not being able to insure the sustainability of its economy, the viability of its ability to raise tax dollars to maintain its infrastructure and the fabric of its society.”

President Gaffney concluded that, “the findings of this study are too important to ignore and should inspire all of Long Island’s citizens and elected officials to begin to pay attention to the aging of Long Island and organize a summit to discuss the aging of Long Island.” President Gaffney offered to host such a summit at Dowling College.

About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.

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Contact:  Kelly Kazemier
Director of Communications
631-244-3318
kazemiek@dowling.edu

Contact: Martin Cantor
Director, Long Island
Economic & Social Policy Institute
631-491-1388/Cell: 631-334-9487
cantorm@dowling.edu