Civic Engagement in Later Life

by María Dolores Majón Valpuesta (Contribution by), Erin Grinshteyn (Contribution by), Mark Skinner (Contribution by), Mélanie Levasseur (Contribution by), Fredrica Nyqvist (Contribution by)

Overview

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

Older adults’ civic engagement has become a key concern in academic and policy debates in recent years. However, existing studies on this topic remain fragmented across various conceptual and methodological approaches.

This book provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and multidimensional perspective on older adults' civic engagement. It proposes a conceptual framework which understands civic engagement as a multidimensional concept encompassing a diversity of activities through which older adults contribute to their communities and wider society. Contributors explore the factors shaping older adults’ participation in various civic activities across the life course, considering their diversity in terms of social locations such as gender, health status, migrant background, socioeconomic background and residential arrangements.

By analysing past and current research, policy and practice, the book offers recommendations for future efforts to advance the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447373544
Publisher:	Policy Press
Publication date:	05/29/2025
Series:	Ageing in a Global Context
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	266
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Rodrigo Serrat is Associate Professor in the Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology at the University of Barcelona.
Sandra Torres is a Professor of Sociology and the Chair in Social Gerontology at Uppsala University, Sweden whose scholarly contributions often aim to expand the gerontological imagination on ethnicity, race and migration.
Dr. Kieran Walsh is Senior Research Fellow at Project Lifecourse and Deputy Director of the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, National University of Ireland Galway.
Rodrigo Serrat is Associate Professor at the Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology of the University of Barcelona.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Civic Engagement in Later Life: Conceptual and Methodological Aspects

1. A Conceptual Framework to Understand Civic Engagement in Later Life – Rodrigo Serrat

2. What Characterizes Civic Engagement in Later Life? Micro-, Meso- And Macro-Level Influences – Toon Vercauteren, Fredrica Nyqvist and Marina Näsman

3. A Life-Course Approach to Civic Engagement in Later Life – Sandra Torres and Rodrigo Serrat

Part 2: Understanding Multidimensional Civic Engagement in Later Life

4. Informal Helping Behaviours in Later Life – Montse Celdrán and Karima Chacur-Kiss

5. Associational Memberships in Later Life – Fredrica Nyqvist, Mikael Nygärd and Emilia Häkkinen

6. Older People's Formal Volunteering – Sarah Dury, Erin Grinshteyn and Marja Aartsen

7. Older People's Political Participation – Rodrigo Serrat and Clemens Tesch-Römer

8. Digital Civic Engagement in Later Life – Arlind Reuter and Thomas Scharf

Part 3: Civic Engagement within a Diverse Older Population

9. Older People with Disabilities – Maria Dolores Majon Valpuesta and Mélanie Levasseur

10. Older People Living in Long-Term Care Settings – Feliciano Villar and Inma Peiró-Milián

11. Older People with Diverse Migrant Backgrounds – Pernilla Ågård and Sandra Torres

12. Older People Living in Socially Disadvantaged Urban Areas – Bas Dikmans, Sarah Dury and Liesbeth de Donder

13. Older People Living in Rural Communities – Rachel Winterton, Mark Skinner and Kieran Walsh

Part 4: Future Directions for Policy and Research into Late Life Civic Engagement

14. Looking back and Moving Forward: Future Directions for Research on Civic Engagement in Later Life – Rodrigo Serrat

Editorial Reviews

Through enlightening contributions of a strong team of scientists, the volume edited by Serrat provides crucial insights on one important social consequence of current demographic developments." Andrea Principi, National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing (INRCA)

“It is critical to recognise that older people contribute to society. This volume presents a unique perspective on the breadth and diversity of these contributions across settings and environments.” Jeni Warburton, La Trobe University

“This book offers a comprehensive analysis of civic engagement in later life, highlighting diverse perspectives, underexplored themes and critical research gaps.” Laurent Reyes, University of California, Berkeley

“It is a real breath of fresh air at a time when we see around us a disturbing return to narratives of old age as a problem and a burden. The chapters in this book make clear how misguided these views are.” Lucie Vidovićová, Masaryk University

From the Publisher