Facilitators and Barriers for the Social Participation of Baby Boomers in Quebec, Canada

As witnesses and contributors of several social successes in terms of better health, wealth, and life circumstances, baby boomers are redefining the models of aging and spaces of social participation, reaching older age with better health and the desire to start new life projects. There is little knowledge about the factors that influence the social participation of the new generation of older adults in Quebec. This study explores facilitators and barriers for social participation of boomers of Quebec. This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological perspective through semi-structured interviews with 50 baby boomers, 30 women and 20 men, aged 58–74 years living in Quebec, 30 French-speaking and 20 English-speaking. Six thematic axes of facilitators and barriers for baby boomers’ participation emerged. The facilitators were related to: accessibility, such as the importance of proximity and the virtual environment; availability, claiming flexibility and freedom to manage their time; motivations, looking for participation according to personal interests and values, and pursuing to have an impact on society; and social image, feeling respected and needed. The barriers were linked to socioeconomic and health status as the combination of low income and high standard of living, and feeling trapped by illness; and to identity factors, such as introvert personality or being part of a minority group. The results suggest the need to attend to the diversity of environmental and personal factors in delineating baby boomer participation, through the analysis of accessibility from the everyday settings and the deconstruction of social participation segregated by age, promoting the agency of older adults.