This study examines the potential predictors of social participation for elderly people with 460 Koreans aged 65 or older living in rural area. For this study, informal participation includes reciprocal visit with adult children, communication with adult children by telephone or letter, and meeting with friends/relatives, while formal participation includes religious activity and senior citizen center. Role loss in later life (widowhood and retirement), socio demographic characteristics such as age, sex, health, education, economic condition, and opinion on transportation are used as independent variables.
The major findings are as follows:
1. Education is the only factor affecting both visit and communication with adult children significantly. Those who are widowed, with higher education and lower economic status tend to have visited with adult children reciprocally. Meanwhile those who are female, employed, and with higher education are more likely to communicate with adult children.
2. Interaction with friends/relatives are higher among those who are working, with higher education, and have an attitude that the transportation is convenient.
3. Higher education, women, employed, positive opinion on transportation is related to more involvement in the religious activities.
4. Among the eight independent variables, sex, opinion on transportation, health, economic condition are, in order, significant determinants of participation in a senior citizen center. In other words, those who are men, in good health, with better economic condition, and have positive attitude toward transportation are more likely to participate in a senior citizen center.
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