FIGURE IT OUT… the forms of social and civic engagement of older adults living in rural areas result from the interplay between social class positions, socio-spatial trajectories and territorial embeddedness.

Hélène Blasquiet-Revol, a geographer, studies the diverse forms of engagement among older adults living in rural France. To better understand this diversity, she combined qualitative interviews, field observations, statistical analyses and case studies, between 2022 and 2025, in several rural areas of the Auvergne region.

Based on 111 interviews conducted with older adults, local elected representatives, associations and institutional stakeholders, as well as prolonged immersion in local engagement dynamics, she developed a typology articulating three complementary analytical dimensions: engagement profiles, social class positions and socio-spatial trajectories.

The typology identifies four engagement profiles. "Non-engaged" older adults remain only weakly involved in collective life. Those "seeking social connections" are primarily engaged in spaces of sociability and the maintenance of social ties. "Multi-engaged" older adults participate simultaneously in several local associations or initiatives. "Mediators" act as go-betweens connecting residents, associations and public institutions.

The forms of engagement appear to be socially structured. Middle- and upper-class older adults more frequently access leadership positions within associations and local participation spaces. By contrast, working-class older adults are involved in neighbourhood mutual aid activities, which are generally less visible but equally essential to everyday life in rural communities.

Finally, the typology highlights three trajectory profiles: "locals", who have long been rooted in the area; "newcomers", who recently settled there; and "returnees", who moved back upon retirement. These trajectories shape opportunities for involvement in collective life through social ties, knowledge of the local area, local networks and a sense of belonging.

Overall, the typology shows that forms of engagement among older adults in rural areas result from the interplay between social class positions, socio-spatial trajectories and territorial embeddedness. While social class positions remain a major factor structuring patterns of engagement, relationships with place also contribute to shaping the ways older adults become involved in local life.