Table 2.
Determinants of social isolation. Results of multiple linear regression analysis (German Ageing Survey, fifth wave)
| Independent variables | (1) | (2) | (3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total sample | Men | Women | |
| Use of social network sites: - Several times a week (Ref.: daily) | 0.05** | 0.06* | 0.04 |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.03) | |
| - Once a week | 0.07* | 0.12** | 0.04 |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.04) | |
| - 1 to 3 times a month | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0.02 |
| (0.05) | (0.08) | (0.06) | |
| - Less often | 0.10*** | 0.09* | 0.09* |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.04) | |
| - Never | 0.10*** | 0.12*** | 0.07* |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.03) | |
| Age | −0.01*** | −0.01*** | − 0.01*** |
| (0.00) | (0.00) | (0.00) | |
| Marital status: Other (divorced, widowed, single, married, living separated from spouse) (Ref.: married and living together with spouse) | 0.08*** | 0.11*** | 0.05* |
| (0.02) | (0.02) | (0.02) | |
| Employment status: - Retired (Ref.: employed) | 0.08*** | 0.10** | 0.06+ |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.03) | |
| - Other: not employed | 0.17*** | 0.19*** | 0.15*** |
| (0.03) | (0.05) | (0.04) | |
| Monthly net equivalent income in 1000 Euro | −0.04*** | −0.04*** | − 0.05*** |
| (0.01) | (0.01) | (0.01) | |
| Smoking status: - Yes, sometimes (Ref.: Daily) | −0.07* | − 0.02 | − 0.13* |
| (0.03) | (0.05) | (0.05) | |
| - Not anymore | −0.01 | −0.02 | 0.01 |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.03) | |
| - Never been smoker | −0.03 | −0.04 | 0.00 |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.03) | |
| Consumption of alcohol: - Several times a week (Ref.: Daily) | 0.00 | 0.01 | −0.03 |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.04) | |
| - Once a week | 0.01 | 0.06* | −0.09* |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.04) | |
| - 1 to 3 times a month | 0.04+ | 0.08* | −0.03 |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.04) | |
| - Less often | 0.06* | 0.09* | 0.00 |
| (0.02) | (0.03) | (0.04) | |
| - Never | 0.11*** | 0.15*** | 0.04 |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.05) | |
| Physical activity: - Several times a week (Ref.: Daily) | −0.03 | −0.04 | −0.03 |
| (0.02) | (0.04) | (0.03) | |
| - Once a week | 0.00 | −0.02 | 0.02 |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.04) | |
| - 1 to 3 times a month | 0.03 | −0.01 | 0.07 |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.05) | |
| - Less often | −0.01 | −0.04 | 0.02 |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.04) | |
| - Never | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.03 |
| (0.03) | (0.04) | (0.04) | |
| Self-rated health (from 1 = “very good” to 5 = “very bad”) | 0.10*** | 0.11*** | 0.09*** |
| (0.01) | (0.01) | (0.01) | |
| Number of physical illnesses (from 0 to 11) | 0.05*** | 0.04*** | 0.05*** |
| (0.00) | (0.01) | (0.01) | |
| Constant | 1.60*** | 1.52*** | 1.71*** |
| (0.07) | (0.10) | (0.10) | |
| Observations | 7141 | 3549 | 3592 |
| R2 | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.10 |
Comments: Beta-Coefficients are reported; robust standard errors in parentheses. *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05, + p < 0.10. Social isolation was quantified using a scale developed by Bude and Lantermann [13]