본 연구의 목적은 노인의 종교 참여도가 행복도에 미치는 영향을 파악하고, 두 변수 사이에서 생활 만족도의 매개효과를 검증하는 것이다. 연구목적을 달성하기 위해 2021년도에 실시된 제24차 한국노동패널조사(KLIPS) 자료를 활용하였다. 통계는 SPSS 18을 활용하였으며, 주요 분석방법은 차이검증, 위계적회귀분석 및 매개효과 방법을 실시하였다. 분석결과 첫째, 일반적 특성과 주요변수와의 차이검증에서 행복도는 성별, 연령대, 학력, 혼인상태, 건강상태, 흡연여부, 음주여부, 종교와 유의미한 차이가 있었다. 종교 참여도는 성별, 연령대, 학력, 건강상태, 흡연여부, 음주여부, 종교였고, 생활 만족도는 성별, 연령대, 학력, 혼인상태, 건강상태, 흡연여부, 음주여부, 종교와 유의미한 차이가 있었다. 둘째, 행복도에 영향을 미치는 요인을 알아보기 위한 회귀분석 결과 학력, 혼인상태, 건강상태, 종교 참여도, 생활 만족도와 유의미했다. 셋째, 종교 참여도와 행복도 사이에서 생활 만족도는 부분매개효과가 있었다. 따라서 노인의 행복을 증진하기 위한 방법으로 종교 참여 활성화에 대한 방안을 제시하였다.
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of elderly religious participation on happiness and to verify the mediating effect of life satisfaction between the two variables. To achieve the research objectives, data from the 24th Korean Labor and Income Panel Study conducted in 2021 were utilized. The statistical analysis employed SPSS 18, and various methods such as difference testing, hierarchical regression analysis, and mediation analysis were conducted as the main analytical approaches. The analysis results revealed the following: Firstly, in the difference testing between general characteristics and key variables, happiness showed significant differences in gender, age group, education level, marital status, health condition, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and religion. Religious participation exhibited significant differences in gender, age group, education level, health condition, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and religion, while life satisfaction showed significant differences related to gender, age group, education level, marital status, health condition, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and religion. Secondly, the regression analysis to identify factors influencing happiness showed that education level, marital status, health condition, religious participation, and life satisfaction were significantly relevant to happiness. Thirdly, there was a partial mediating effect of life satisfaction between religious participation and happiness. Therefore, strategies for promoting religious participation were suggested to enhance the happiness of the elderly.