Baby Boomers and Seniors: Understanding Their Leisure Values Enhances Programs

Abstract

As 76 million baby boomers march into retirement, a world of leisure activities will present itself. The purpose of this study was to explore what tomorrow's seniors (those born between 1946 and 1964) compared to today's seniors (those born before 1946) are searching for in terms of community recreation program preferences as perceived by their value structure. Results indicate significance between these two groups. Three steps are presented as guidelines for programming success for the professional. The baby boom generation needs to be fully understood in terms of their leisure values in order to make responsible future decisions regarding facilities, programs, and services.

Keywords:

• leisure
• recreation
• programming
• values
• aging