Tsai Hung-chao, an assistant professor at Tamkang University's economics department, has spent years studying elderly oriented business. A survey he conducted in 1988 into the economic condition of Taiwan's elderly showed that in their own estimation 0.8 percent of the elderly were wealthy, 20.8 percent were comfortably off, 61.6 percent were average, 11.2 were badly off, and only 5.6 percent were in poverty.
淡江大學經濟系副教授蔡宏昭研究銀發產業多年，根據他在民國七十七年對全台老人經濟狀況的抽樣調查顯示，有百分之○．八的老人認為自己富裕，百分之廿．八認為小康，百分之六十一．六認為普通，百分之十一．二認為清寒，只有百分之五．六自認為貧苦。