Development and Application of an Age Integration Indicator (AII) in Korea

This study was conducted to develop an age integration indicator (AII) that measures the level of age integration of a nation in the context of social cohesion, and to analyse the current status of age integration in Korea using the indicator. Age integration responds to the challenges of population aging by striving to remove structural age barriers through building an inclusive atmosphere for older adults to actively participate in social activities, and facilitating the interaction between people of different ages. In order to develop the AII, literature reviews were conducted, and interviews with international and Korean experts were performed to gain further insights. After the AII was developed, existing statistical data for age integration was analysed to show the current status of age integration in Korea. The final AII consisted of 2 categories, 6 variables, and 13 individual indicators. Age flexibility and age diversity were proposed as the main categories of the AII. The analysis of age flexibility of Korea revealed age to be a significant barrier to education, employment, and participation in volunteer work and cultural and leisure activities. The analysis of age diversity of Korea showed rooms for improvements in the areas of family life, workplaces, and local communities. Policy implications are discussed based on the results of the study.