Leisure participation and the retirement process

The influence of pre-retirement leisure activity patterns on retirement planning and attitudes toward retirement was investigated. Sixty male retirees answered a questionnaire designed to collect data regarding sociodemographic variables, the degree of preretirement planning, the type and extent of leisure participation before and after retirement, and attitudes about retirement. The results show that a high degree of pre-retirement leisure participation correlates with a high degree of pre-retirement planning. No statistically significant relationships were demonstrated between pre-retirement planning and retirement attitudes or between pre-retirement leisure participation and retirement attitudes. The influence of specific types of activities on the retirement process was also examined and results are presented.