<p>Seventy four percent of older people feel optimistic about the post-pandemic future, according to research from retirement giant McCarthy Stone (rebranded from McCarthy &amp; Stone).</p> <p><span>The survey, commissioned through OnePoll and involving 1,000 people aged 65 and over in the UK, revealed that 68% of participants would, post-vaccine, feel confident about seeing friends and family. And 66% would be happy to resume everyday tasks including going to the doctor.</span></p><p></p> <p><span>McStone’s research showed that 53% would feel confident returning to the high street, which, the retirement housebuilder said, supported the Bank of England’s recent prediction that the retired would start spending first.</span></p><p></p> <p><span>The company said its survey also demonstrated that the over-65s had weathered the pandemic well with many discovering positives, including 39% saying they were using their lockdown time productively. Twenty percent said their relationships with friends and family had strengthened during the pandemic, with 55% spending more time online than usual and 22% increasing their time outdoors.</span></p><p></p> <p><span>At the same time, with the move back to normality being a gradual process, McStone said 46% of its survey participants believed normal life would not resume until next year, against 4% who thought normality would return within the next three months.</span></p><p></p> …