Leisure in community life of older rural residents

Abstract

Much of the research on leisure among older people has focused on the impact of leisure on psychological well‐being. However, there appears a need to examine leisure from a more sociological level in terms of its impact on the social structures in which elderly people are embedded. The purpose of this study was to examine leisure as a context for interaction within the community lives of two subgroups of older residents in one rural region of South Carolina. Research methods were consistent with an interpretive approach. Findings indicated that older lifelong residents of the region had experienced a steady erosion of social leisure interaction due to changes in social structures. In contrast, older in‐migrant residents had created and maintained their communities principally through social leisure involvements. The findings are discussed in terms of the role of leisure in both the creation and dissolution of social bonds.