Three hundred and thirty-one older adults participated in a study designed
to examine their perceptions of what constitutes a reasonable quality of li
fe. Participants responded to an open-ended questionnaire in which they wer
e asked to state their priorities, preferences, aspirations, and concerns a
bout their present and future quality of life. Responses were subjected to
a principal components factor analysis which yielded four factors: 1) respo
ndents' demands for specific guarantees; 2) respondents' aspirations and ex
pectations for future quality of life; 3) fears and anxieties; and 4) exter
nal factors presenting a threat to quality of life. These factors accounted
for 15 percent, 12 percent, 9.2 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively, of
the total variance. Additionally, data obtained from in-depth interviews wi
th thirty-seven older adults were analyzed using a qualitative approach. Co
ntrary to stereotypic notions that elderly persons are frail, vulnerable, a
nd resigned to deteriorating conditions of well-being in late life, the res
ults of both the qualitative and quantitative components of the study showe
d the majority of respondents as having clear demands for autonomy, control
, and independence in making decisions, including the decision to terminate
life. Implications are discussed in terms of future research on quality of
life of older adults.