Later life civic engagement of elderly in Ahwaz -Iran

Abstract Objective: The problematic reduction of civic engagement in local communities of Khuzestan province in the southwest of Iran has became a serious issue for research in social planning and policy making. Efforts have been made to study the risk factors as the deterrents to engaging in the society. Methods: this study aims to investigate the factors influencing civic engagement among elderly citizens, focusing on the role of the background variables and individual characteristics as the reducing or active factor. The community of study is 201 elderly citizens from the selected urban areas of Ahwaz city selected through cluster sampling method. The independent variables are gender, socioeconomic status, membership in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the duration of living in the city, the sense of satisfaction of urban services, traditionalism, and fatalism. Findings: It was observed that some independent variables have no significant relationship with civic engagement of the elderly, though elders have fewer participating interactions in this study. Discussion: Some proposals within the research itself were recognized as potential improvement and reinforcement energies to participation-based planning in the population, especially among women and the elderly. The growth of social networks and societal links, along with social trust revival seemed helpful.