Alternatives to Aging Alone?: “Kinlessness” and the Importance of Friends Across European Contexts

Abstract

Increasing numbers of older adults cross-nationally are without children or partners in later life and therefore likely have greater reliance on nonkin (e.g., friends). This pattern may be particularly pronounced in country contexts that emphasize friendship. This article hypothesizes that those who lack kin (e.g., children, partners) and/or who live in countries with a stronger emphasis on friendship have more friends in their networks. Although these hypothesized patterns are consistent with interdisciplinary literatures, they have not been tested empirically and therefore remain overlooked in current “aging alone” narratives.This study combines individual-level data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (Wave 6) with nation-level data from the European Values Survey to estimate multilevel negative binomial models exploring number of friends among those aged more than 50 years who lack kin across 17 countries.Older adults who lack kin or whose kin are unavailable report more friends in their networks, particularly in countries with a higher percentage of people who believe that friends are “very important” in life.This article challenges dominating assumptions about “aging alone” that rely heavily on lack of family as an indicator of “alone.” Future studies of “kinlessness” should consider the extent to which friendship is correlated with lack of kin, particularly in more socioeconomically developed countries. Previous research on “aging alone” may have overestimated risk in more privileged countries that already emphasize friendship, but underestimated risk in family-centered countries where “kinlessness” and alternative sources of support are less common.