Social and political participation divergently impact older adults' health, with voluntary participation promoting physical mobility and self-efficacy while political participation reveals 'a marked ambivalence' serving as cognitive stimulus but also provoking emotional fatigue, alienation, and frustration.
Key Findings
Results
Civic participation made older adult interviewees feel mentally and physically active and useful in their community.
Study used semi-structured interviews with 12 older adults aged 70 and over living in Central Italy, conducted in 2025.
Contents were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed.
Qualitative methodology captured subjective experiences of civic participation and perceived health outcomes.
Most interviewees had been socially and/or politically engaged since they were younger.
Results
Voluntary (social) participation promoted respondents' physical mobility, agency, and self-efficacy.
Social participation was associated with positive physical and psychological health outcomes.
Agency and self-efficacy were identified as perceived benefits of voluntary participation.
This finding aligns with the Active Aging framework used as the study's theoretical basis.
Voluntary participation was distinguished from political participation in its health effects.
Results
Political participation revealed a marked ambivalence, functioning as a cognitive stimulus on one hand but provoking emotional fatigue, alienation, and frustration on the other.
Political engagement was associated with both positive cognitive effects and negative emotional outcomes.
Negative outcomes specifically identified included emotional fatigue, alienation, and frustration.
Disillusionment in policy and society was identified as a source of frustration and stress.
This divergent impact on health distinguishes political participation from voluntary/social participation.
Results
For some participants, retirement disclosed new opportunities for civic involvement.
While most interviewees had longstanding civic engagement, retirement represented a transition point enabling new forms of participation for some.
This finding was identified through thematic analysis of semi-structured interview content.
The sample consisted of 12 older adults aged 70 and over in Central Italy.
Results
Intergenerational learning and dialogue for strengthening civic participation in communities was identified as a common theme among participants.
Interviewees commonly expressed the value of intergenerational approaches to civic participation.
The authors recommend involving older adults in 'co-participatory intergenerational stakeholders' consultation tools.'
This approach was suggested as a means to overcome frustration and stress from political disillusionment.
The goal articulated is informing 'evidence-based Active Aging public policies and health promotion strategies.'
Conclusions
The findings highlight the importance of avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach for promoting civic participation among older adults in Europe.
The divergent health impacts of social versus political participation support differentiated policy approaches.
Possible emotional distress from political engagement should be taken into consideration when designing civic participation programs.
The study was a qualitative case study limited to 12 participants in Central Italy, limiting generalizability.
Findings are framed as relevant to Active Aging policy across Europe.
What This Means
This Italian study interviewed 12 people aged 70 and older about their experiences with civic participation — including volunteering and political involvement — and how these activities affected their health and wellbeing. Researchers recorded and analyzed the interviews to identify common themes. Overall, civic participation made older adults feel mentally and physically active and gave them a sense of being useful to their communities. Most had been involved in civic life for many years, though for some, retiring from paid work actually opened up new opportunities to get involved.
However, the research found that not all civic participation affects health in the same way. Volunteering and social participation were linked to benefits like staying physically mobile, feeling capable, and having a sense of control over one's life. Political participation told a more complicated story: while it kept people mentally sharp, it also brought emotional fatigue, frustration, and a sense of alienation — particularly when people felt disillusioned by politics and society. Participants also commonly expressed that connecting across generations was important for strengthening community participation.
This research suggests that health promotion programs encouraging older adults to stay civically engaged should not treat all forms of participation as equally beneficial. Policymakers and health promoters in Europe should consider that political involvement, while cognitively stimulating, can carry emotional costs. The authors propose that involving older adults in structured, intergenerational consultation processes could help channel civic energy productively while reducing the stress and disillusionment that can come from traditional political engagement.
Cantore M, Santini S, Socci M. (2026). How social and political participation in later life divergently impact on perceived health of older adults: a case study in Central Italy.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1901328