Leisure participation and the retirement process

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology of Leisure

Background:

• Retirement planning and attitudes are crucial for a successful transition.
• Leisure activities play a significant role in life satisfaction and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of pre-retirement leisure activity patterns on retirement planning.
• To examine the relationship between pre-retirement leisure, planning, and attitudes toward retirement.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from sixty male retirees.
• Questionnaire assessed sociodemographic variables, pre-retirement planning, leisure participation (before and after retirement), and retirement attitudes.

Main Results:

• A high degree of pre-retirement leisure participation correlated positively with a high degree of pre-retirement planning.
• No statistically significant relationships were found between pre-retirement planning and retirement attitudes.
• No statistically significant relationships were found between pre-retirement leisure participation and retirement attitudes.

Conclusions:

• Pre-retirement leisure engagement appears to foster proactive retirement planning.
• Leisure activities and planning levels, in this study, did not directly shape retirees' attitudes toward retirement.