Social Integration and Participation of Older People in Europe's Rural Areas

In current sociopolitical debates relating to the elderly in Europe, it is necessary to be able to differentiate between different social environments, beyond the national scale. This study presents empirical data regarding the social integration & participation of the elderly in rural environments with a European perspective. Questionnaire data were obtained 1989-1992 from 1,824 rural elderly (age 65+) from Wales, the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, & Hungary. Four different measures of social integration were analyzed: institutional ties, participation in social activities, social networks, & emotional ties. In each case, national differences were observed, indicating cultural factors are more important to social integration than factors relating to the aging process. In spite of these national differences, informal, voluntary relationships were most important for the social integration of the majority of the elderly. Institutional ties were also important for social integration, & often corresponded to participation in social activities (dependent on whether such institutions were available). Furthermore, emotional attachment to the area was high in each of the rural areas. 3 Tables, 21 References. L. Kehl