Abstract: Objective To understand the current situation and its influencing factors of social capital among rural elderly people in Anhui Province. Methods From June to August 2022,a total of 1 097 rural elderly people aged ≥60 from township and communities under the jurisdiction of Ma’anshan City and Xuancheng City in Anhui Province were selected as research subjects by convenience sampling method.The general information questionnaire and social capital scale were used to conduct a cross-sectional survey among the elderly,and the data were analyzed. Results The total score of social capital of the elderly was（47.83±6.28）points,and the average score of items was （3.42±0.45）points. The score of family social capital was （3.98±0.72）points,macro social capital was （3.91±0.65）points,community social capital was （3.54±0.68）points,personal social capital was （3.27±0.58）points,and association social capital was （2.01±1.05）points. The differences in the total score of social capital of the elderly with different economic source,frequency of children's visits,whether they took part in physical exercise,whether they had hobbies and self-care ability were statistically significant（all P<0.05）. Conclusion Township communities should fully explore the factors that have a positive impact on the social capital of the elderly,and improve the social capital level of the elderly.

Key words: Social capital, The elderly, Rural area, Influencing factors, Mental health