Social capital and the living conditions of older persons in rural Nigeria

Fatai Ogundele, Lagos State University
Emmanuel Ajiboye, Lagos State University

National and International Organizations have re-echoed concerns on the older persons worldwide, and suggested measures for improving their living conditions and overall well-being within the framework of sustainable development. However, older persons are not homogenous category. Unlike the population of the industrialized nations, the proportions of many developing countries are ageing rapidly. The experience of industrialized nations is not likely to be of much benefit to these developing countries because the policy context differs so dramatically. Pension plans, for example, are virtually non-existent in most rural areas in developing countries. When and where they do exist, they are generally only available to the few elite who have worked in the formal sectors of the economy. Majority of the older persons in developing countries depend on some combinations of informal old age security systems which may include; living arrangement such as co-residency with children, the receipt of financial transfers from children, and their own labour market income which is often very meager. However, reliance on the support from adult children is likely to become strained as older persons dependency ratios increase. This study focuses on the effects of changes in social capital on the living conditions of older persons in rural areas in Nigeria. Multiple method approach was used for the collection of research information. A multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted to select the respondents included in the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to code and organise the data collected. Cross-tabulations of social and economic characteristics were done to allow for a general description of the respondents and their household characteristics. Hypotheses testing were done using logistic regression technique to determine the net effect of explanatory factors on the probability that the changing pattern in social capital influence older persons living conditions in the rural Nigeria.