In order to understand variations of quality of life in early old age, associations between socio-economic status, socially productive activities and well-being are studied across 14 European countries. Information on three different types of productive activities and their exchange characteristics is included. We used the first two waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) including some 15,000 retired men and women. Well-being is measured by a standardized quality of life measure (CASP-12). Findings of multilevel analyses show larger within-country than between-country variability in prospective quality of life. Strong individual predictors were the experience of reciprocity in social productive activities and high socio-economic position. Continued participation in socially productive activities, in particular those that offer opportunities of experiencing reciprocity in exchange, improves prospective quality of life in early old age.
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