Social Competencies Among the 65+ Generation: Empirical Analysis and Implications for Lifelong Learning

Procházka, Miroslav; Vítečková, Miluše; Brabcová, Iva; Hellerová, Věra; Bártlová, Sylva; Michálková, Helena; Šubrt, Tomáš; Sissak, Jiří

doi:10.11118/lifele20261601087

Lifelong Learning > Archive > 2026, Vol. 16 > Issue 1 > Social Competencies Among the 65+…

Lifelong Learn. 2026, 16, 87-109

https://doi.org/10.11118/lifele20261601087

Social Competencies Among the 65+ Generation: Empirical Analysis and Implications for Lifelong Learning

Miroslav Procházka¹, Miluše Vítečková¹, Iva Brabcová², Věra Hellerová², Sylva Bártlová², Helena Michálková², Tomáš Šubrt³, Jiří Sissak⁴

¹Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Pedagogická fakulta, Katedra pedagogiky, Jeronýmova 10, 371 15 České Budějovice, Česká republika
²Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, Ústav ošetřovatelství, porodní asistence a neodkladné péče, J. Boreckého 1167, 370 11 České Budějovice, Česká republika
³Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Ekonomická fakulta, Katedra aplikované matematiky a informatiky, Studentská 13, 370 05 České Budějovice 5, Česká republika
⁴Yourchance o.p.s. a Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Pedagogická fakulta, Jeronýmova 10, 371 15 České Budějovice, Česká republika

Received March 23, 2026
Accepted June 3, 2026

The paper analyses the subjectively perceived difficulty of coping with social situations as an indicator of social competencies among residents of the South Bohemian Region aged 65 and over within the context of lifelong learning and active ageing. The presented findings are based on a quantitative survey (N = 403) conducted through standardized interviews and represent part of the outcomes of the project Support and Development of Financial, Digital, Social and Health Literacy among the Population Aged 65+ (TQ01000591). Social competencies were operationalized as a set of 14 situational items capturing the perceived difficulty of managing specific social situations, assessed on a five-point scale. The analysis employed frequency distributions, mean scores, and tests of statistical significance to examine the relationships between item ratings and selected sociodemographic characteristics. The results indicate that the evaluation of these situations varies primarily according to educational attainment and marital status, and to a lesser extent according to age, gender, and the presence of children. Situations involving intercultural understanding, emotional openness, and maintaining a friendly attitude in conflict situations were perceived as the most difficult. A notable finding is the high proportion of „difficult to assess“ responses for several items, which may indicate a limited degree of self-reflection among some respondents. However, alternative explanations cannot be ruled out, including differences in respondents’ understanding of the items or the greater cognitive demands associated with their evaluation. The paper concludes with implications for targeted continuing education programmes for older adults, particularly those with lower levels of education and widowed individuals. These recommendations are based on the relationships identified through the empirical investigation.