scholarly journals Political participation and social exclusion in later life: What politically active seniors can teach us about barriers to inclusion and retention

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Serrat ◽  
Jeni Warburton ◽  
Andrea Petriwskyj ◽  
Feliciano Villar
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
New Members ◽  
Potential Barriers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Politically Active ◽  
Holding Responsible

Addressing older people’s social exclusion is a major challenge for contemporary societies. However, policies designed to address it have tended to focus on poverty and unemployment. This paper explores the relationship between social exclusion and political participation from the perspective of those already holding responsible roles within seniors’ organisations. We aim to highlight the impact of later-life social exclusion in relation to politically active older individuals from two diverse socio-political contexts, Australia and Spain. Participants perceived a range of potential barriers for the inclusion of new members and their own continued involvement. These related to practical and resource ssues, beliefs and attitudes towards participation, and organisational and contextual issues. Members’ views of retention of existing members as well as the recruitment of new members highlight the complexity associated with building the diversity and representativeness that organisations need if they are to represent seniors’ views in the policy process.

Organizational Conditions Affecting Withdrawal Intentions and Decisions as Moderated by Work Experience

1980 ◽  
Vol 46 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1223-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. La Rocco ◽  
Allan P. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
New Members ◽  
Organizational Conditions ◽  
Situational Characteristics ◽  
Initial Expectation ◽  
Withdrawal Decision ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Numerous studies of withdrawal from work organizations have considered demographic and other personal history characteristics of leavers. Relatively few of these studies have incorporated dynamic situational characteristics in their designs. In the present effort, the relationship between perceived characteristics of the work environment and stated intentions to reenlist were examined for two groups of first-term Navy enlistees: 198 with less than one year of active duty and less than six months of sea duty, and 516 personnel with more than one year of active duty and more than six months of sea time. It was hypothesized that: (a) the relationship between organizational conditions and intent to reenlist would be weaker for new members than for experienced men, (b) that new personnel would be most likely to change their intentions over time, and (c) that new personnel would quickly assimilate the beliefs, values, and perspectives of their more experienced co-workers. Hypothesis 1 was not supported although the pattern of relationships was in the predicted direction. Hypotheses 2 and 3 were supported. The authors discuss the need for research which emphasizes the impact of initial expectation and organizational socialization on the withdrawal decision process.

Life transitions and leisure activity engagement among older Americans: findings from a national longitudinal study

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-564
Author(s):  
Yura Lee ◽  
Iris Chi ◽  
Jennifer A. Ailshire
Keyword(s):  
Mail Survey ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Household Activities ◽  
Leisure Engagement ◽  
The Impact

AbstractOne of the major aspects of successful ageing is active engagement in later life. Retirement and widowhood are two significant life transitions that may largely influence leisure engagement patterns among older adults. Limited findings exist regarding the impact of life transitions on leisure activity engagement due to the scarcity of longitudinal data with repeated measurement of older individuals’ leisure engagement. This study longitudinally examined changes in leisure activity engagement as influenced by retirement and widowhood using five waves of national panel data from the Health and Retirement Study and its supplementary Consumption and Activities Mail Survey. Multi-level modelling was conducted with retirement and widowhood status as time-varying variables. Socio-economic status, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, self-rated health and functional limitations were also included as time-varying and time-invariant covariates. Findings show that engagement in mental, physical, social and household activities significantly decreased during an eight-year period. Moreover, transition from working to retired status was associated with increased engagement in mental, social and household activities but decreased engagement in physical activities among men only. Transition from married to widowhood status was associated with decreased engagement in household activities among women only. Encouraging active leisure engagement among individuals who experience either or both life transitions may help maintain their health after transition.

Black Consciousness and Political Participation: The Missing Link

1981 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Shingles
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Black Americans ◽  
Political Efficacy ◽  
Black Consciousness ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Politically Active

Recent research has demonstrated that black Americans are far more politically active than whites of similar socioeconomic status. The difference has been related to black consciousness. Yet the reasons for this relationship have not been adequately explained. Starting with the work of Gurin and Gamson, this article theorizes that black consciousness contributes to political mistrust and a sense of internal political efficacy which in turn encourages policy-related participation. The relationship between the two attitudes and policy-related behavior is demonstrated to be conditional. The conditions favor blacks more than whites. What I shall call the Gamson-Gurin thesis is supported by data from Verba's and Nie's 1967 survey of the American public. The thesis, and its derivations, prove useful in clarifying the scope and nature of black participation in the American political process as well as helping us to understand how individuals in general select one mode of participation over another and how the choice varies by race and social class.

Testing threat-to-efficacy ratios in health communications about cardiovascular disease among an older population

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-266
Author(s):  
Sinéad Moylett ◽  
David Hevey
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Health Communications ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Behavioural Intentions ◽  
Control Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract To test threat-to-efficacy ratios within health communications about cardiovascular disease (CVD) for older individuals. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six messages: (i) ‘standard’ message with 1/1 threat-to-efficacy ratio, (ii) ‘low efficacy’ message with 1/0 threat-to-efficacy ratio, (iii) ‘low threat’ message with 0/1 threat-to-efficacy ratio, (iv) ‘high efficacy’ message with 1/2 threat-to-efficacy ratio; (v) ‘high threat’ message with 2/1 threat-to-efficacy ratio and (vi) ‘overload’ message with 2/2 threat-to-efficacy ratio. Participants had to be of 60 years of age or older (N = 242, Male = 92, Age: M = 68.29, SD = 6.71). Advanced univariate analyses and multiple regression modelling were conducted to examine associations between the message groups, and danger- and fear-control processes, as well as the impact of threat and efficacy appraisals on the relationship between the message groups and behavioural intentions. No differences were found between the message groups for danger-control processes. Those who received the ‘overload’ message did report higher levels of fear, nervousness and anxiety in comparison to the ‘standard’ message group. For physical activity, it was found that efficacy impacted the relationship between the message groups and behavioural intentions, as participants’ levels of efficacy increased and if these individuals received high levels of efficacy information, their behavioural intentions for physical activity increased. Results from this study were dissimilar to those of previous research. However, they highlighted the impact of efficacy and negative emotional reactions when communicating to older individuals about CVD and the associated health behaviours.

scholarly journals UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF OBESITY THROUGH THE LIFECOURSE ON LATER-LIFE FUNCTIONING AND DEPENDENCY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S48-S49
Author(s):  
Carol Jagger
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
National Child Development Study ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
Timing Of Onset ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Populations worldwide are seeing rising levels of obesity and its health consequences, particularly diabetes. Levels of childhood obesity are particularly high with concerns of how this will affect individuals’ health and functioning in mid and later life. Such research questions are difficult to answer as ideally they require longitudinal studies of cohorts from birth or childhood through to later life, with consistent measures of obesity and functioning throughout. The first two presentations in this session use the unique UK birth cohorts, the 1946 National Survey of Health and Development (1946-NSHD) and the 1958 National Child Development Study (1958-NCDS) with a focus on poor physical functioning (PF, i.e. the ability to perform physical tasks of daily living) in later life. Poor PF was defined as the lowest (gender and cohort-specific) 10% on the Short-form 36 subscale at 60-64y (1946-NSHD) and 50y (1958-NCDS). The presentations explore (i) how the timing of onset and duration of obesity, from childhood through to mid-life, affects later life PF, and (ii) whether the relationship between obesity and PF is mediated by physical inactivity. In the final presentation we utilise a new dynamic micro-simulation model, the Population Ageing and Care Simulation (PACSim) which simulates the ageing of a base population of individuals aged 35 years and over from three longitudinal studies (Understanding Society, the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing, and the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study II) to examine the extent to which reducing obesity in mid life could potentially reduce later dependency and care needs.

scholarly journals A Creative Writing Workshop on Sexuality and Ageing: A Spanish Pilot Case Study

Societies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Ieva Stončikaitė ◽  
Núria Mina-Riera
Keyword(s):  
Creative Writing ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Initial Hypothesis ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Negative stereotypes about old age abound in our present-day society, which often considers older people as sexually incapable or even asexual. On the other hand, active ageing ideologies foster the practice of sex in later life as a sign of healthy and active ageing. The aim of this pilot case study was to examine the impact that poetry on sexuality, ageing and creativity had on older individuals. In total eight participants, aged 49–76, participated in a workshop offered by the University of Lleida (Spain). The initial hypothesis was that the participants, following the example set by the poems, would produce pieces of creative writing in which they voiced their own concerns and experiences about sexuality in later life from the distance that metaphor grants. While some of the participants’ writings engaged with the poems that deal with sexuality in older age, none of the participants’ creative pieces contained explicit instances of sexual experiences. The analysis of the participants’ creative pieces suggests that: first, they regard intimacy in older age as essential; and second, their unwillingness to write about sexuality in older age is partly rooted in their upbringing during Franco’s dictatorial regime, in which sexuality for non-reproductive aims was constructed as immoral.

Does Religious Attendance Increase Immigrant Political Participation?: A Case Study in Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 440-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
The Political ◽  
Electoral Participation ◽  
Election Study ◽  
Political Resources ◽  
Universal Applicability ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe relationship between religion and immigrant political participation has not been rigorously investigated in the literature set in Australia. In this study, I test whether religious attendance influences electoral and non-electoral participation among immigrants. Drawing on data from the 2013 Australian Election Study, I demonstrate that the impact of religious attendance on political participation may be overstated. I find that religious attendance is not significantly related to electoral and non-electoral participation among immigrants in Australia. This result may relate to three factors: the ability of religious attendance to affect immigrants’ key political resources; competition between religious and secular organizations; and the political salience of particular religious denominations within the Australian context. This study does not provide the much sought-after empirical confirmation to associational theories of political participation, but instead sounds a note of caution about the universal applicability of such theories.

scholarly journals Two Dimensions of Social Exclusion: Economic Deprivation and Dynamics of Loneliness During Later Life in Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 610-610
Author(s):  
Michal Myck ◽  
Charles Waldegrave ◽  
Lena Dahlberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Material Deprivation ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Economic Deprivation ◽  
Material Conditions ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract We contribute to the discussion on social exclusion by examining the relationship between material conditions and loneliness in a sample of individuals aged 50+ in the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In its 5th wave, the survey was extended to include specific items related to economic and social deprivation. We use this extended information on material conditions and examine how it correlates with the level and dynamics of a composite loneliness measure at the time of wave 5 and between wave 5 and 6 of the survey (undertaken in 2013 and 2015, respectively). In order to isolate the effect of material deprivation on loneliness, regression analyses include an extensive set of control variables. The analyses show a strong and significant relationship between material deprivation and both the level of loneliness and deterioration in the loneliness status.

scholarly journals More Than Words?

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Olesen
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Total Absence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Systematic Knowledge ◽  
Experimental Survey

AbstractStudies of activism and political participation have shown increasing interest in the relationship between photographs and activism. Most contributions are premised on the assumption that photographs have an impact on opinions, knowledge, and/or mobilising motivations. However, such causalities are rarely documented, and when it comes to what is arguably one of the most central questions in the field of activism and participation studies, why some people act and participate, and others do not, there is a near total absence of systematic knowledge on the impact of photographs. Taking the 2015 refugee crisis as its case, this article addresses the effect of photographs on individual willingness to participate politically using an experimental survey. While the hypothesis was that the inclusion of photographs in a call for action should lead to increased willingness to participate, the results showed that adding photographs had no significant effect on individuals’ willingness to participate. A possible explanation for this is the timing of the survey, in December 2015. By then, the debates on the refugee crisis were surrounded by less uncertainty, and opinions had crystallised.

scholarly journals Education, Self-Importance, and the Propensity for Political Participation

Perceptions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Caffrey-Maffei
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Cross Tabulation ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Past research has largely centered on the link between education and political participation. Although an array of evidence has suggested that there is a positive—if not causal—relationship between the two, some suggest that the relationship is spurious or mediated by other factors. Using data from the General Social Survey (2004-2014), the present study intends to revisit the phenomenon while controlling for self-importance in order to resolve the previous conflicting findings. The bivariate cross-tabulation indicates that educational attainment is a significant determinant of political participation. The trivariate cross-tabulation, furthermore, uncovers that self-importance confounds the relationship between education and political participation, such that the impact of education on political participation is stronger among those who feel less important. To be sure, the higher a person’s educational attainment is, the more likely they are to participate in political processes; and, moreover, this is particularly true of those who have depressed understandings of their importance in the world. These findings suggest that those with low levels of self-importance—likely traditionally marginalized, stereotyped, or stigmatized groups—are least represented by government officials and mandates. This, in turn, creates an American governance that fails to adequately serve and represent the desires and needs of all its people. The study calls on further research to explore the impact of other related variables on the relationship between education and political participation, and to create more appropriate and comprehensive measures of political participation and self-importance.

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