Senior citizens and their leisure activity - understanding leisure behaviour of elderly people in Poland.

Abstract

Poles are still one of the youngest societies in Europe, yet considering the ever faster processes of population ageing by 2020 every fifth citizen of Poland will have been retired. Reaching a senior age and retirement opens a new period in man’s life. Thanks to improvement in living conditions, progress in medicine and increasing social awareness of the role of hygiene, this stage of life may last now several dozen years. In view of all this, the question of living standards of senior citizens and factors determining these standards acquires crucial importance. Numerous studies have proven that a particularly important factor determining the so-called “successful ageing” is regular physical activity. Unfortunately, some studies have also shown that elderly Poles belong to the group of the least active EU citizens. The main reasons behind low physical and tourist activity of Polish seniors include poor financial standing, lack of active leisure habits, and – all too often – insufficient offer and promotion of sport and leisure activities targeted at this age group. The aim of this paper is to present the results of the authors’ own research into the ways of spending free time by senior citizens in Poland to show selected factors motivating elderly people to engage in recreational activity as well as to recommend marketing policies which should be carried out in this particular market segment.