Factors influencing attitudes toward aging workforce: Evidence from college students in Southern Thailand

Abstract

As the aging population grows, examining attitudes and intentions toward joining the aging workforce is of greater importance. This study examines factors influencing Southern Thai college students’ attitudes and intentions to join the aging workforce. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 412 undergraduate students from three universities in the region. The survey measured attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to be older workers based on the theory of planned behavior using a 5-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed using the path analysis technique. The findings indicated significant associations between attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to be older workers among college students. Attitudes toward older workers positively influenced subjective norms (β = 0.71, p = 0.001), and perceived behavioral control also had a significant impact on subjective norms (β = 0.11, p = 0.05) and on the intention to be older workers (β = 0.23, p < 0.05). Subjective norms, in turn, positively influenced intentions to be older workers (β = 0.42, p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as factors in influencing college students’ intention to join the aging workforce. AcknowledgmentThis study is supported by the Research and Innovation Institute of Excellence, Walailak University, under Grant No. WU66251.