Participation in learning and wellbeing among older adults

The objective of this research was to identify the effects of participation in learning on the subjective wellbeing of older adults. Data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a large-scale, nationally representative survey of those aged 50 and above. The survey contains several wellbeing measures and information on three types of learning: formal courses, music/arts/evening classes and gym/exercise classes. Multiple regression analyses were applied to the change in wellbeing outcomes between two survey waves. The key finding was that music, arts and evening classes were significantly associated with changes in each of the measures of subjective wellbeing. Formal courses and gym/exercise classes were not significantly associated with wellbeing, after controlling for other factors.