Socio-demographic factors of elderly subjective wellbeing in Lithuania

Abstract

The aging of population is a complicated phenomenon which highlights various social and economic challenges for both the oldest generation and the whole society. The increasing share of the elderly in the context of atl the society highlights the interest in the subjective wellbeing of the elderly. The understanding of the subjective weilbeing of the elderly and its interrelation with socio-demographic characteristics enables to familiarize with the opportunities of the physical and social functioning, need for self-realization and limitations of this group and the factors which influence the wellbeing of their life. The aim set in this article has been to establish the links of socio-iemograpbic factors with the subjective wellbeing of the elderly. The object of the research has been the socio-demographic factors of the subjective wellbeing of the elderly. The socio-demographic factors of the subjective wellbeing of the elderly have been analysed by employing the method of the questionnaire survey. The questions were formulated following the examples of international questionnaires of wellbeing research which were realised in various countries and following the good experience of various scientists in investigating these problems. The sample of research was 602 elderly people older than 60. Average points of evaluation of subjective wellbeing are domineering; men evaluate the wellbeing worse than women; the respondents who were sixty-sixty nine were distinguished for fetter wellbeing and most often the representatives of seventy-seventy nine evaluated the wellbeing as bad; there are fjffipfe less happy than really happy persons, and women are happier than men; men are also less satisfied with the present life than women; the characteristics of wellbeing of economically active elderly population are better.