Age integration in the social convoys of young and late midlife adults

Abstract

Homophily on the basis of age is a notable characteristic of social convoys across the life course. Ties to older and younger persons, therefore, are both unusual and potentially provide unique social support resources. This study examined relationships with older, younger, and same-aged non-kin ties among young and late midlife adults. Data came from the University of California Berkeley Social Networks Study (UCNets), a sample of 485 people aged 21–30 and 674 people aged 50–70. A majority of non-kin ties were to people whose age was within 5 years of the participant’s own age, although the majority was much larger for young adults (81 %) than late midlife adults (52 %). Younger and older ties often came from different social settings (school, work, religious organizations, and neighborhoods) than same-aged ties, and there were also some cohort differences in the social settings that produced younger, older, and same-aged ties. Younger and older ties also provided different forms of social support than did ties to same-aged persons. Again, the functions of younger and older ties varied by cohort. Implications for life course studies are discussed.