Markus Schafer
Professor of Sociology Graduate Program Director
Education
Ph.D., Sociology, Purdue University, 2011
M.A., Sociology, Purdue University, 2007
B.A., Psychology and Sociology, Grove City College, 2005
Biography
Markus Schafer is professor of sociology and Graduate Program Director. He completed his PhD in sociology and gerontology at Purdue University in 2011. His research focuses primarily on health and aging. Some of the things he studies includes the varied consequences of childhood adversity and other early life experiences; how social networks evolve in later life and relate to physical, mental, and cognitive health; and how ageism is expressed in organizations. Schafer’s work has been funded by various sources, including the Province of Ontario’s Early Research Award program and by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. He currently serves as deputy editor of Journals of Gerontology, Social Sciences and on the editorial board of several other interdisciplinary journals. He is also co-editor of the forthcoming Handbook of the Sociology of Aging, 2nd Ed. (Springer).
Recent Publications
Schafer, Markus H. Forthcoming. “Social Contact during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of LongTerm Connectedness and Cumulative Inequality in Later Life.” Social Science Research.
Dubash, Soli and Markus H. Schafer. Forthcoming. “Social Network Negativity and Physical Activity: New Longitudinal Evidence for Young and Older Adults, 2015-2018.” Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
Eugene Dim and Markus H. Schafer. Forthcoming. “Age, Political Participation, and Political Context in Africa.” Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences
Schafer, Markus H. and Laura Upenieks. 2024. “On Religious Ambiguity: Childhood Family Religiosity and Adult Flourishing in a Twin Sample.” Social Science Research 118:102949.
Kyeremeh, Emmanuel and Markus H. Schafer (equal authorship). 2024. “Keep Around, Drop, or Revise? Exploring What Becomes of Difficult Ties in Personal Networks.” Social Networks 76:22-33.
Sun, Haosen and Markus H. Schafer. 2023 “Distance in Disconnection: The Varied Impact of Core Network Losses on Loneliness among Older Europeans.” Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 11:1917-1926.
Sun, Haosen and Markus H. Schafer. 2023. “Isolation or Replenishment? The Case of Partner Network-Exclusivity and Partner Loss in Later Life.” Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 78:705-717.
Lee, Jin A. and Markus H. Schafer. 2023. “Social Network Characteristics and HIV Testing among older adults in South Africa.” Ageing & Society 43:499-515.
Andersson, Matthew A., Lindsay R. Wilkinson, and Markus H. Schafer. 2023. “The Long Arm of Childhood: Does It Vary According to Healthcare System Quality?” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 64:79-97.
Schafer, Markus H., and Laura Upenieks. 2023. “Do Sexual Expectations Matter for Older Men and Women? Anticipated Sexual Futures and Late-Life Sexuality over Two Decades.” The Gerontologist 63:240-250.