Changes in Instrumental Support Around Retirement: Longitudinal Evidence From Europe

As populations age and the share of retirees increases across Europe, the question of whether individuals stay active after retirement is increasingly salient. Retirees are known to provide more instrumental support than their working counterparts. However, most previous studies have relied on between-group comparisons of retirees and employed individuals, leaving it unclear how the transition into retirement affects changes in instrumental support within individuals over time. Using eight waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe covering 19 countries between 2004–2022 (n = 7,422 observations from 3,711 individuals aged 50+), we employed fixed-effects regression and found that the transition from employment to retirement was associated with an increase in instrumental support provision outside the household. We also found suggestive evidence that this association was stronger in countries with higher social expenditures. These findings indicate that retirement may promote activity and facilitate engagement in helping others.