Cultural capital factors associated with life satisfaction in Korean baby boomers

Background As aging baby boomers retire, cultural capital is expected to play a major role in representing new types of need for social inclusion for this group of people. This study aims to examine the association between cultural capital and life satisfaction among Korean baby boomers born between 1955 and 1963. Methods Data on 297 baby boomers were extracted from the 2007 Korean General Social Survey and multiple regression models were tested. Results The findings indicated that acquired cultural capital (i.e. experiences of private art and culture education and diverse participation in art and cultural activities) had a significant association with a higher level of life satisfaction, whereas inherited cultural capital (i.e. paternal educational level) was not related to life satisfaction among Korean baby boomers. Conclusions The findings point to the potential benefits of acquired cultural capital as a means to promote the life satisfaction of the baby boom generation.