This study aims to examine determinants affecting poverty status movement (the the group escaping
from poverty versus the group remaining in poverty) among the poor elderly in Chungnam. To achieve the
aims of this research, this research selected 327 respondents, elderly people of 65 or above living in
Chungnam province in 2nd year data in 2007 and the 8th year data in 2013 of the Korea Welfare Panel.
And, it also chose 137 respondents who have ever used social welfare service among the respondents who
answered the questionnaire both in 2007 and 2013. The findings of the data analysis are as follows. First,
there were no significant differences in demographic characteristics (gender, age, educational background,
marriage status, economic activity, number of family members in economic activities, home ownership, total
household income, total financial assets, and total debts) between the group escaping from poverty and the
group remaining in poverty. Second, the number of the elderly who moved from poverty to non-poverty
was 23 (16.8%), and remaining 83.2% of them remained in poverty. Most of them could not escape from
poverty. Third, as determinants in movement from poverty, the following variables were significant:
economic activity, number of family members in economic activities, use of social welfare services, and
satisfaction with social welfare services. That is, those who were engaged in economic activities were 4.727
times more likely to escape from poverty. And, as the number of family members doing economic
activities increased by 1, the possibility of escaping from poverty decreased 3.16 times. In addition, as the
number of social welfare services is added, the possibility of escaping from poverty decreased 1.912 times,
and, as the score of satisfaction with welfare services went up by 1 point, the possibility of escaping from
poverty decreased 2.309 times. Among those variables, what affected the most on poverty status movement
among Chungnam elderly was whether they were in economic activities or not.