In the 1980s a marked shift in the attitude to aging and the elderly made itself felt. In the beginning of the decade the commission for the elderly proposed a policy based on continuity and self-determination and with a starting point in the resources of the elderly. This attitude has come through in the political activities on different levels and is also reflected in the DaneAge Future study, where three cohorts--40-44 years, 50-54 years, 60-64 years--show an optimistic and self-confident attitude to their own old age.