Often carefree, cash-rich and keen to hang on to their youthful vigour, Britain’s over-50s have been dubbed the ‘Superboomers’.

Wealthier, healthier and more active than their predecessors, a report says this generation are leading subtle shifts in society.

Having climbed the career ladder when the economy was booming, this group has a respect for life experience and the insights that come with age, it is said.

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Living life to the full: According to the report, Britain's over-50s are more active and outgoing than ever

Fitter than ever: The report showed that over-50s stay active for longer - and peak gym attendance age is 66

The Superboomers are following their dreams. They keep fit, set up their own businesses, get online, travel and re-enter the dating game.

The report says: ‘They may have accumulated a few more wrinkles, but revolution is in their nature. They are healthier, fitter and wealthier than those who have gone before them, and are no longer constrained by what people think.’

The Baby Boomer generation, born after the war, forms nearly a quarter of the UK population and controls more than three-quarters of the nation’s wealth.

Over-50s spend more on beauty products, luxury travel and culture than younger people, with women in this group spending £2.7billion a year on clothes, shoes and accessories.

As a result, companies are keener to win the Superboomers’ custom, says research by consultants The Future Laboratory commissioned by technology firm Huawei.

Major fashion brands are choosing older women and men to front advertising campaigns as grey hair is reclaimed as a sign of a ‘hip, defiant, pro-age’ attitude.

The report claims: ‘With fitter bodies, more active minds and entrepreneurial power, this group is increasingly becoming the face of British fashion, beauty, design and media.’

The Superboomers are nearly as technology-savvy as their children and grandchildren, with eight out of ten having internet access and two-thirds using online shopping. But they take a more cautious approach to handing over personal details to websites and social networks than younger people.

New online dating services aimed at older people are springing up, but this generation is more wary about the privacy implication of sites like Google and Facebook, which are free but make their money by employing users’ data to sell advertising.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vast majority of Superboomers are strongly opposed to the idea of having to give up their independence in their final years.

Fewer than one in five of those aged 60 to 65 would consider moving to a care home if they became frail in old age. The report concludes: ‘The centre of social, cultural and economic gravity is clearly going to shift to the Superboomers.

‘While youth once symbolised everything that was to do with innovation, freedom, fun and adventure, this group has the money and time to enjoy a boundaryless existence.’

Tom Savigar, chief strategy officer of The Future Laboratory, said: ‘The Superboomer is redefining what it means to be older in British society and culture.