Differential Roles of Education on Attitude toward Old-Age Support among Korean Elderly

Abstract

In an aging society, it is critical to understand the norms and expectations of the elderly for their old age. Among the important dimensions of their expectations, this study focuses on the elderly's attitude toward potential sources for their old-age financial support (i.e., self-reliance, children, or the government) and how this attitude varies by one's education level. Using a national survey data of South Korean elderly, we empirically tested two hypotheses: 1) the elderly's attitude systematically varies by their education level with highly educated elderly being more independent for their old age, but 2) the sense of independence derived from one's education has two distinguishable dimensions that could be separated into what we call an attitudinal and material dimension of education. The results of statistical analysis support our hypothesis that educated elders in general are more likely to support the idea of self-reliance for their old age, but what education actually implies in the decision process was somewhat different, depending on who they compare themselves to for the desirable sources of old-age support. In other words, both the attitudinal and material dimensions of education seem to operate when the elderly compare themselves to their children as a source of financial support, but only the latter tend to work when comparing themselves to the government. The consequences and implications of the differential roles of education on the attitude are further discussed in a conclusion section, particularly in light of aging population.