Voluntary participation and life satisfaction among Chinese older adults: a propensity score analysis

Theories of productive aging suggest that voluntary participation can enhance the subjective well-being of older adults. However, the extent to which this relationship is confounded by factors such as individual health status, social roles, socioeconomic status (SES), and community factors remains uncertain. This study aims to address this selection effect while simultaneously exploring the heterogeneity in life satisfaction associated with voluntary participation within the Chinese context.

We analyzed nationally representative cross-sectional data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS, N = 11,182) using propensity score matching to estimate the net association between voluntary participation and life satisfaction among older adults. Furthermore, we stratified the analysis by key characteristic variables (e.g., SES, health status, and social roles) to assess heterogeneity in the relationship between volunteering and life satisfaction.

Voluntary participation was positively correlated with life satisfaction among older adults. After statistically balancing potential confounders between groups of volunteers and non-volunteers, the association remained robust, though the effect size decreased by nearly 36.36%. Subgroup analyses showed that disadvantaged older adults, such as women, those with less education and social support, rural hukou status, functional limitations, and no pension from enterprises or public institutions, benefit more from the positive link between volunteering and life satisfaction than advantaged older adults.

Policies that promote volunteer programs can effectively address the challenges of an aging population in China. Given the greater benefits observed among socio-economically disadvantaged groups, policymakers should focus on developing targeted volunteer programs to enhance their well-being.