Comparing Neighbors and Friends in Age-Related Network Changes

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology
• Social Network Analysis

Background:

• Social networks are crucial for well-being, especially in older adults.
• The composition of social networks (friends vs. neighbors) may shift with age.
• Factors like marital status, employment, and socioeconomic status can influence network dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how the importance of neighbors and friends changes across the adult lifespan.
• To investigate the impact of cohort, marriage, employment, and socioeconomic status on these network changes.
• To test the hypothesis that neighbors become more dominant than friends in older adults' non-kin networks.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of longitudinal data from the Swiss Household Panel (1999-2019) for individuals aged 55-90 (N=5,585).
• Measurement of network aspects including size, contact frequency, practical support, and emotional support for both friends and neighbors.
• Application of fixed-effects and hybrid-effects regression models to person-year observations.

Main Results:

• Network size decreased with age, more so for friends than neighbors.
• Contact with neighbors increased with age, while contact with friends remained stable.
• Support from neighbors was stable, whereas support from friends declined.
• The relative importance of neighbors increased with age, particularly after retirement and for those with lower socioeconomic status.

Conclusions:

• Proximity-based relationships, like those with neighbors, become increasingly dominant in the non-kin networks of older adults.
• This shift is likely driven by increased local contact opportunities, changing needs, and higher mortality rates among friends.
• Findings underscore the evolving nature of social support structures in aging populations.