Examining retirees perceptions of the effects of COVID-19 mitigation strategies on leisure participation and social relationships

ABSTRACT

In response the designation of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in March of 2020, people across the world have been tasked with adopting extreme social distancing protocols and lockdowns resulting in substantial interruptions to their daily lives. Specific to leisure, COVID-19-related changes have presented unanticipated disruptions to activities in areas where opportunities were once abundant, especially for retirees. The purpose of the current study is to examine adult retirees’ perceptions of COVID-19 related change to their recreation and leisure activities and social relationships. Findings revealed that a majority of participants reported experiencing varying levels of modification to recreation and leisure participation and changes to relationships with friends. A qualitative comparison revealed a general trend among participants where a majority of those who reported modifications to recreation and leisure activities also reported negative impacts to relationships with friends.

KEYWORDS:

• Leisure
• older adults
• retirement
• participation
• social groups

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).