Background: This study examines how social and geographical factors shape life satisfaction among older adults in South Korea, which became a super-aged society in 2024. As Korea moves toward implementing a nationwide integrated eldercare system by 2026, understanding the contextual determinants of wellbeing among older populations is critical for effective policy design.

Methods: We use nationally representative survey data and apply a two-stage instrumental variable regression approach to address potential endogeneity in estimating the effects of key predictors on life satisfaction.

Results: Subjective health and social connectedness are positively associated with life satisfaction. Physical activity shows context-specific effects, with notable differences between urban and rural areas. Surprisingly, greater accessibility to government services is linked to lower levels of physical activity, indicating a possible unintended consequence of well-intentioned policy measures. Gender differences are also evident: in urban areas, women report higher life satisfaction than men, whereas in rural areas, men report higher satisfaction than women.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for aging policies that are context-sensitive and socially inclusive. Policymakers should consider regional and gender-specific dynamics when designing programs to improve life satisfaction among older adults in a rapidly aging society.

Keywords: South Korea; determinants of life satisfaction; healthy aging; instrumental variables estimation.

背景：这项研究考察了社会和地理因素如何影响韩国老年人的生活满意度，韩国在2024年成为超级老龄化社会。随着韩国计划到2026年实施全国一体化养老系统，理解老龄人口福祉的环境决定因素对于有效政策设计至关重要。

方法：我们使用了具有全国代表性的调查数据，并采用两阶段工具变量回归方法来解决在估计关键预测因子对生活满意度影响时可能出现的内生性问题。

结果：主观健康和社会联系与生活满意度呈正相关。身体活动表现出特定背景下的效果，在城市和农村地区之间有显著差异。令人惊讶的是，政府服务的可及性增加与身体活动水平降低有关，这表明可能是有意图的良好政策措施带来的意外后果。性别差异也显而易见：在城市地区，女性报告的生活满意度高于男性；而在农村地区，男性的满意度则高于女性。

结论：这些发现强调了制定适合不同背景和具有社会包容性的老龄化政策的必要性。当设计改善快速老龄化社会中老年人生活满意度的计划时，决策者应考虑区域性和性别特定的动力。

关键词：韩国；生活满意度决定因素；健康老龄化；工具变量估计。