Half the Island's senior citizens live on a household income of less than $36,000, a new report reveals.

The stark finding comes in a major new study on seniors that will form the backbone of Government policy on the elderly, Premier Alex Scott announced yesterday.

To be published on Monday, the 56-page report ? collecting information from1950 to 2004 ? deals with age, race, health, pensions and housing.

The Premier said that many in the sub-$36,000 group, who depend on the Government pension for income, lived in their own homes.

But he said Government was still keen to help them. He told the House of Assembly yesterday that changes at the National Office of Seniors and the Physically Challenged meant services would be delivered more efficiently in a more coordinated way.

The study also shows white seniors generally have better health care benefits and pensions than blacks, although Mr. Scott said he expected this racial gap to narrow as more blacks have entered white collar jobs since the 1970s.

The number of Bermudians aged over 65 has ballooned from 2,135 to 6,722 between 1950 and 2000, MPs heard.

And seniors are living longer through healthier lifestyles and better medical treatment, the Department of Statistics report states, with slightly more owning their own homes than 20 years ago. In 1980 that figure stood at 69 percent, compared to 71 percent in 2000.

But Mr. Scott said that not all seniors were doing well. Some face pressing housing needs, however, and he said Government's commitment to increase the housing stock over the next 30 months would help.

He said the "historic" study, "The Changing Face of Bermuda's Seniors", would enable Government to continue improving seniors' lives.

He said this was the first time any Government had completed a "scientific study on all facets of our senior population".

And the Premier told MPs widespread concerns raised in the media about quality of life for seniors was mostly anecdotal and could not be used as evidence of wider trends.

Government could not make decisions based on impressions and speculation.

"We need a sound factual matrix based on empirical evidence," he told the House. "From there we can roll up our sleeves and grapple with conclusions that emerge."