The purpose of this study was to survey basic data for management of elderly day care centers. In this study, occupation, leisure life, and food, clothing and habituation, as well as social relationship, health state and behavior, and general characteristics of subjects were examined to identify the factors affecting their cognition, need and preference of the day care centers. The subjects of this study were 392 elderly, aged 60 years or over, living in Gangnung and neighboring districts. Data were collected by educated interviewers from November 4 through November 22, 2002. The subjects were interviewed face to face, one for one after the interviewee's agreements on the survey. The collected data were analysed with logistic regression analysis by SAS (statistical analysis system). Logistic regression analysis was done to identify affecting factors for cognition, need and preference of the elderly day care centers. The major findings are as follows: 1. The factors affecting cognition for the day care centers were analysed. The subjects with an occupation and a lower satisfaction level of living environment and friendship, who were economically secure enough to manage a sudden accident, showed a higher level of cognition of the day care centers. The subjects with a higher level of mental health state and a lower level of IADL also showed a higher level of cognition. On the general characteristics younger female subjects showed a higher level of cognition. 2. The subjects with a lower level of perceived economic condition who did not own their housing and were not economically safe enough to manage a sudden accident, had showed a higher level of need for the day care centers. It showed that the subjects with a high level of mental health state, a bad eye sight and dental condition, a good perceived health condition, and a lower level of IADL, needed the centers. 3. The subjects who had an occupation, however, not capable of making their own daily expenses, and a low occupation satisfaction level, and who did not own their housing, and were economically poor not enough to manage a sudden accident, showed a higher preference for the day care centers. The subjects with higher levels of friendship satisfaction and perceived health condition, not living with their spouse, and a higher education level, showed a higher preference for the centers. In conclusion, the common factors affecting their cognition, need and preference of the day care centers were occupation, economic security enough to manage accidents, and friendship satisfaction level. Especially, the subjects who had an occupation, however, not economically secure enough to manage accidents, and who did not live in their own housing with a good perceived health condition, showed high levels of need and preference for the day care centers. These results can be used as basic data to develop the efficient elderly day care centers, thus contribute to the elderly welfare in a local community.