Life satisfaction among older adults in Korea: a hierarchical Bayesian analysis

Abstract As the population continues to age, identifying the factors influencing life satisfaction among older adults has become a major concern for social policies. Many studies focus on individual factors, but relatively few have considered the joint influence of individual and regional factors on older adults’ well-being. This study examines the combined influence of individual characteristics and regional contexts on life satisfaction among older adults in rapidly aging Korea. Using a hierarchical Bayesian model, the analysis incorporates individual- and region-level variables and estimates their associations. The results show that life satisfaction is most strongly linked to family and housing security: home ownership and having children are associated with about a 7-point higher score, and having a spouse with about a 3-point higher score. Health status and employment also matter, contributing moderate improvements (approximately 3.6 and 1.5 points, respectively). By contrast, individual income plays a limited role: a 1 million Korean won (KRW) increase in income is associated with about a 0.28-point increase in life satisfaction, and this association attenuates with age. Regional factors accounted for a meaningful share of the variance in life satisfaction beyond individual-level factors. Between-region variation accounts for about one-fifth of the total variance in life satisfaction: the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) is approximately 0.22 in the intercept-only model and 0.19 in the full model, and regional income is positively related to life satisfaction. The influence of factors on life satisfaction varied across age groups: economic resources were more strongly associated with the life satisfaction of younger older adults, while non-economic factors were more important among those aged 80 and above. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating individual and regional factors into policy frameworks to improve older adults’ quality of life, while accounting for regional contexts and intra-group diversity when designing interventions to enhance their well-being.