This study examined the attitudes of independently living older persons aged 65 and over towards informal and formal care on the basis of an eight-item scale “receptivity towards informal support”. Further, the relationship between these attitudes and the preferences for care arrangements in various (hypothetical) care-need situations differing in type of care needed and the expected duration is investigated. Beyond the previous experience with receiving care, and individual and social characteristics of older persons, the attitudes towards care showed themselves to be a strong predictor of the care preferences of older people. The authorities might use the attitude towards care as a steering instrument for altering older persons' preferences for and use of services in the long term.
