Active ageing and participation in the context of cultural diversity

According to WHO (2002), “active ageing” is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. However, the feeling not to belong can be a psychological barrier to participation in activities. Studies have shown that people with a migration biography might have a greater risk of loneliness and social isolation, as they have sometimes smaller or less satisfactory social networks in the receiving country.
The proportion of older people in the population of Luxembourg has risen sharply in recent years. Almost 20 % of the total population of Luxembourg are over 60 years of age, of which one third are non-Luxembourgers. As first generation migrants are entering retirement age, questions regarding their needs, wishes and future expectations become therefore particularly pertinent in this culturally diverse context.
This was the starting point of the PAN-VAL project on active ageing of Luxembourgers and non-Luxembourgers, which was funded by the Luxembourg Ministry of Family and Integration and carried out in collaboration between a team from the University of Luxembourg and the GERO – Kompetenzzenter fir den Alter.
A total of N = 1000 people over 50 (51% women, 49% men) participated in a nationally representative online and telephone survey. Participants reported on their participation in social activities, their social network, sense of belonging, life-satisfaction and loneliness.
Based on our quantitative data, we will first focus on differences in activities, social inclusion and subjective well-being between Luxembourgers and Non-Luxembourgers and second, we will analyze the relations between social activities, inclusion and subjective well-being of older people in the context of cultural diversity.
Finally, a comprehensive model will be presented and policy implications about how to adapt social offers to the diverse needs of an increasingly heterogeneous target group will be discussed.