Changes in Social Participation of Older Adults in Beijing

Social participation of older adults, an essential part of the active aging strategy, has drawn more attention in Chinese society and is noted in the literature as having positive outcomes on physical and mental health. Based on the 2000 “Survey of the Older Population in Rural and Urban Beijing” and follow-up surveys in 2006 and 2010, this paper focuses on a descriptive analysis of social participation and the resources necessary to participate and analyzes changing willingness and behaviors regarding social participation among older adults in Beijing. Data show that attitudes about social participation were increasingly positive, and a larger proportion of older adults expressed willingness to participate in society. Social participation among older adults increased between the years 2000 and 2006 but remained flat between 2006 and 2010. This paper analyzes the influence of gender, age, marital status, health, and financial stability on behaviors and attitudes of older adults related to social participation and argues that older adults’ attitudes change before behaviors do.