This study aimed to offer fresh insights into the analysis of attitudes towards learning and perceptions of lifelong learning affecting lifelong learning participation by exploring the differences in network structures between lifelong learning participants and non-participants and identifying the core items with the greatest impact on lifelong learning participation. This study utilised network analysis, a method that involves nodes representing each factor and edges indicating connectivity between nodes to reveal the relationships among these factors. Data were collected from a large-scale national survey in South Korea, with 9,973 respondents selected through systematic sampling. The main variables were attitudes towards learning and perceptions of lifelong learning. Network analyses were conducted separately for participants and non-participants. The study's findings revealed differences in network structures between participants and non-participants. Non-participants consistently reported perceiving learning primarily as an economic means. Network centrality analysis revealed that participants' attitudes towards learning and perceptions of lifelong learning constituted a multifactorial construct. Conversely, for non-participants, items related to workplace success exhibited significantly higher values, indicating distinct central factors influencing lifelong learning participation in each group. This study's findings can provide insights for enhancing lifelong learning participation rates, making it a reference for related research and policies.