Population Aging and the Potential for Developing a Silver Economy in the Polish National Cittaslow Network

The objective of this study has been to diagnose the demographic situation of older people in municipalities that belong to the Polish National Cittaslow Network, and to assess their potential for developing a local silver economy. The study covered all 36 municipalities that compose the Polish National Cittaslow Network. The following research methods were employed: a critical review of the literature, analysis of secondary data, including strategic development planning documents, and quantitative methods, including a method of grouping objects on the basis of a synthetic variable. The study has demonstrated that nearly all Cittaslow municipalities experienced a decrease in population during the analyzed period, which coincided with a growing share of the non-working-age population. This attests to the ongoing process of population aging. A significant challenge that the analyzed municipalities faced was determined to be the growing demographic burden. Based on a synthetic indicator of the potential for silver economy development, the municipalities were divided into five classes: very high, high, medium, low, and very low potential. Interestingly, most of the municipalities are now distinguished as having medium, low, or very low potential for the development of the silver economy. The analysis presented in this article contributes to further research on factors and tools shaping a development policy that may influence the development of the silver economy in the Cittaslow municipalities of Poland and the world.