Effects of Leisure Participation on Life Satisfaction in Older Korean Adults: A Panel Analysis

Hyejin Yoon, Won Seok Lee, Kyoung-Bae Kim and Joonho Moon
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Hyejin Yoon: Department of Global Tourism, Baewha Women’s University, 34 Pirundae-Ro 1-gil, Jongno-Gu, Seoul 03039, Korea
Won Seok Lee: Department of Tourism & Recreation, Kyonggi University, 24, Kyonggidae-Ro 9-gil, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul 03746, Korea
Kyoung-Bae Kim: Tourism Research Institute, Hanyang University, 413 College of Social Sciences, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul 04763, Korea
Joonho Moon: Department of Tourism Administration, Kangwon National University, 1 Kangwondaehak-Gil, Chuncheon, Kangwon-do 24341, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-9

Abstract: South Koreans’ life expectancy has dramatically increased over the last four decades. However, the life satisfaction index of older Korean adults has been in the bottom third globally. The large majority of older Koreans spend most of the day watching television at home. However, concrete evidence regarding the effects of leisure involvement on older adults’ quality of later life is scant. Only a few existing studies have examined the link via cross-sectional survey data. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether meaningful leisure participation outside the home in older age plays an essential role in improving life satisfaction. To achieve the research aim, nationally representative panel data from the Korea Employment Information Service were used for the data analysis. The results indicated that social and productive leisure participation in religious activity, social gatherings, and volunteering was significantly related to quality of life in older adults. Moreover, frequent participation in travel and cultural activities outside the home were positively related to life satisfaction. These findings suggest that participation in meaningful leisure activities is a critical factor contributing to subjective well-being and good mental health in older Korean adults and should be encouraged.

Keywords: older adults; leisure participation; life satisfaction; panel analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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