Social participation and life-style: A longitudinal and cohort study

Abstract

This study focuses on changes occurring in one area of life-style, social participation during retirement. The population consisted of four cohorts, born in 1905–06, 1909–10, 1917–18, and 1921–22. In the longitudinal study the members of the oldest cohort were interviewed five times at the ages of 66, 70, 74, 78 and 82 years. In the cohort study the subjects were interviewed at the age of 66. Interests decreased after the age of 78 among men and women. Also, formal social participation declined with age among men and women. There were no cohort differences among men, but among women formal social participation was higher in the younger cohorts than in the older ones. In the longitudinal study education correlated positively with the interests index at almost all ages among both men and women. In the cohort study correlations between interests index and education were lower in the younger cohorts than in the older ones.