Search Results (39)

Chinese rural elderly care services face challenges such as low levels of pensions and social security, as well as high proportions of the elderly living alone and those who are incapacitated and lack assistance. The rural elderly surrounding megacities have been more significantly impacted by urbanization (with relatives moving away to the megacities for jobs) than in other areas, so the well-being of this particular group deserves even more attention. However, existing major studies in China are mainly limited to those in need in specific regions, and there is little research on the well-being of special age groups. To fill the research gap, this study constructs an indicator system for the well-being assessment with five dimensions and explores the well-being of the rural elderly surrounding Xi’an and its obstacles using questionnaire data. The results indicate that (1) the well-being index of the rural elderly surrounding Xi’an in each dimension, in descending order, are medical health, spiritual fulfillment (the pursuit of the spiritual world of the elderly and their desire for a better life), quality of life, social relationships, and economic income status; (2) the comprehensive well-being of the rural elderly varies considerably in the northern counties and districts of Xi’an, and is relatively low in the south; and (3) spiritual fulfillment and medical health are the main obstacles to the improvement of well-being of the rural elderly surrounding Xi’an. Based on these findings, corresponding policy implications are proposed on the five dimensions of well-being, such as improving the rural social old-age insurance and medical insurance systems, providing old-age support for the families of the rural elderly, establishing a model of village old-age care, and promoting the rural habitation renovation, to provide guarantees for the improvement of the well-being of the rural elderly surrounding megacities. Full article

As a new driving force for economic growth, the digital economy has had a profound impact on the labor market. While the existing research has explored the role of the digital economy in job substitution, creation, and polarization effects, the research on the impact on the social insurance fund income is relatively scarce. In view of this, based on the provincial panel data from 2011 to 2020, this paper analyzes the effect and mechanism of the digital economy on the pension income by using the moderated chain intermediary model and random forest regression. The results show that: (1) the employment scale, labor income, industrial structure, and government intervention are the important factors affecting the income of urban pension insurance; (2) the development of the digital economy has a negative impact on the income of the basic pension insurance fund for urban employees, and the chain intermediary effect that indirectly affects the employment scale and labor income through promoting the upgrading of the industrial structure has a negative impact on the income of the pension insurance fund. The employment scale and employment income of the industries with high and low substitution rates have a significant impact; (3) government intervention can regulate the negative impact of the digital economy development on the pension fund income. Furthermore, taking the transformation and reform of social security collection and payment institutions in July 2018 as an opportunity, the analysis using the event study method found that the average level of the pension income in the regions where the tax department was fully responsible increased significantly compared with the regions where the social security department collected it. Therefore, in order to maintain the sustainability of the pension fund income and effectively prevent the problem of old-age poverty caused by the “silver wave” and the lack of protection of workers’ rights and interests, institutional innovation should be promoted, the current tax policy should be adjusted, and the inclusiveness and flexibility of the pension security system should be improved. Digital technology should be used to improve the government’s intervention capacity and management level, and promote the positive interaction between the digital economy and the pension insurance system. Full article

Driven by the traditional concept of “Raising Children to Ensure Old-age Security”, China’s elderly care system has long relied on a family-centered approach, with intergenerational financial transfers (IFTs) serving as a major source of income for the elderly. However, as China’s population ages, the government’s plan to implement delayed retirement from 2025, along with pension reforms, is expected to reshape family-based eldercare and intergenerational financial dynamics. This paper employs an Overlapping Generation (OLG) model, grounded in unified growth theory, which incorporates a delayed retirement policy under the constraint of pension fund balance to examine the impact of adjusting the pension contribution rates (PCRs) and raising retirement age (RA) on IFT rates. The research findings indicate a negative correlation between RA, PCR, and IFT. Both policies have the potential to alleviate the burden on family-based eldercare. The integrated implementation of these two policies not only creates room for a phased reduction in pension contribution rates but also enables the effective utilization of senior workers’ expertise and experience. Full article

This study examines the present and retrospective views of mothers who are nearing or are at retirement age regarding their economic status, pension planning, and perceptions of state pension policy. The paper addresses gaps in the literature on the cross-intersections of employment history, vulnerable economic retirement status, and marital and parental status, thereby adopting a life course perspective. Based on in-depth interviews of thirty-one mothers (ages 59–72) during the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings revealed five themes—economic abuse: an unequal distribution of pension funds following divorce; regrets over past choices; COVID-19 and pensions; the state’s responsibility for old-age economic security; and knowledge is important, and I can help others. The study concludes that the majority of women at these ages perceive their current economic situation as a product of insufficient familiarity with pension plans, while voicing opinions about the state’s irresponsibility regarding people of retirement age. Full article

Aging involves the transformation of the population reproduction mode under the rapid development of the social economy. We studied population survey data based on the WorldPop population statistics website and used ArcGIS to construct a spatial database and implement spatial analysis methods. In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of population aging and its main influencing factors in counties of China, in order to provide a reference for the formulation of a national population development policy and the construction of a pension system. The results are as follows: ① The situation of population aging in China is becoming more serious, showing a point-line-area spatial pattern and two core–periphery aging patterns of high core–low periphery and low core–high periphery. ② The speed of population aging in China is characterized by rapid growth, large scale, and a high degree. Large areas of growing old before getting rich have emerged in the central and western regions. ③ The aging of the population has gradually spread to the northeast, southwest, northwest, and other regions. Influenced by factors such as population migration, population structure change, transportation facility construction, and geographic environment changes, a trend of aging that has spread across the Hu Huan-Yong line has appeared. Full article

This research uses representative survey data to elicit the annuitisation preferences of members of the Slovak-funded private pension pillar. The research explores the impact of socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables, as well as some exogenous factors on annuity choices. The following choices are analysed: (i) taking an annuity upon retirement; (ii) delaying the uptake of an annuity and accumulating savings beyond the official age of retirement; and (iii) leaving accumulated wealth to heirs (bequest motive). The paper provides some original contributions. Firstly, it relates annuity choices to intrafamily risk sharing. Attention is paid to household structure, income levels, and the presence of dependent children. Secondly, the importance of diverse information resources on the formation of annuity preferences is examined. We found that professional advice provided by financial institutions and government bodies was associated with higher probabilities of annuity uptake. A disproportional reliance on informal channels may explain the higher preference towards bequest motives in rural areas. Thirdly, annuity choices are studied in relation to alternative sources of income in old age. A combination of social security pensions and bequest-sharing arrangements may offset the need for the annuitisation of pension wealth. Full article

Residential districts, the primary locations for older adults, struggle to satisfy the needs of the rising older population due to ageing infrastructure, etc. China has begun to focus on this issue through the popularization of approaches such as active ageing theory (AAT), and has implemented ageing suitability renovations. Meanwhile, recent evaluation models failed to validate their logic and standardization. The current evaluation models prioritize the indoor environment above the external environment. Therefore, this study attempts to provide a comprehensive evaluation model of the ageing suitability of residential districts. First, 23 indicators of ageing suitability were identified by a systematic literature review and expert interviews; next, the indicators were categorized using the active ageing theory. Second, the grey correlation analysis approach was used to calculate the weights of evaluation indicators, and the existing evaluation criteria were incorporated to formulate the evaluation criteria for the project. Eventually, the evaluation model was constructed. Finally, the feasibility of the model was validated by a case study. The findings of this study can help provide directions for the future renovation of old residential districts (for example, the activity area should be over 200 m²) and the construction of suitable houses for older adults, such as the installation of a continuous handrail, to alleviate the increasingly grave problem of ageing and promote the development of the pension industry. Full article

Ever since baby boomers started turning 65 years old in 2020, Korea is set to become a super-aged society by 2025. This makes it the world’s fastest-aging society. Aging in place (AIP) has become a policy direction to prepare for an aging society and improve older adults’ quality of life. It refers to the ability of older adults to remain in their homes and communities as they age, allowing them to reside in their place of preference and access the services they require to promote their quality of life. A cross-sectional study design was employed using data sampled from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans. In total, 9930 older adults (aged between 65 and 99 years old) participated. The results confirmed that the intention to pursue AIP is related to personal factors (education, income, house ownership, smoking, exercise, depression), interpersonal and communal factors (unmet healthcare needs, need for home care services, family contact), and policy level factors (basic pension beneficiary, long-term care services) using an ecological model. The findings may promote individual health behaviors and help fill the gap between unmet healthcare needs and community care services that positively influence older adults’ AIP. Full article

The rapidly growing aging population is a global phenomenon imposing societal challenges on many cities. ‘Aging-in-place’ as a popular concept accommodates both the elderly desire to age in a familiar environment and adaptive old home modifications for aging. However, this concept has not been explored in-depth systematically in the urban regeneration context. This article explores a form of aging-in-place that is suitable for large and dense residential urban areas using the case of Hong Kong as an example of a laisse-faire fast-growing dense city, with a focus on home modifications. As in many other Asian cities, with a low tax rate and without a pension scheme, the elderly in Hong Kong are concerned more with the basic needs of health care and rely on public housing. Housing affordability is the primary concern. The government is expected to take the lead in aging-in-place in urban regeneration, in particular, to provide necessary home modifications for the elderly who live in public housing with primary health care provisions. A survey of 294 respondents revealed that housing expenditures, housing size, income level, and residential location are indicators of whether home modifications or health care in cities such as Hong Kong can be afforded by the locals, under tight budget constraints. Full article

We aimed to investigate sustainable working life via age-related sequences of sickness absence (SA), disability pension (DP), unemployment (UE), premature death, and the influence of individual characteristics, accounting for familial confounding. The sample included monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) same-sexed twin pairs with register data (n = 47,450) that were followed for 10 years in four age cohorts: 26–35 (n = 9892), 36–45 (n = 10,620), 46–55 (n = 12,964) and 56–65 (n = 13,974). A sequence analysis was done in a 7-element state space: 1. “Sustainable working life”: SA/DP 0–30 days and UE 0–90 days; 2. “Unemployment >90 days”: SA/DP 0–30 days and UE > 90 days; 3. “Moderate SA/DP”: SA/DP 30–180 days; 4. “Almost full year of SA/DP”: SA/DP 180–365 days; 5. “Full year of SA/DP”: SA/DP ≥ 365 days; 6. Death; 7. Old-age pension. The largest cluster had a sustainable working life and never experienced states 2–6 (34–59%). Higher education and being married predicted a lower likelihood of experiencing states 2–6. The MZ twin pairs (vs. DZ) were more often in the same cluster suggesting the role of genetic factors. To conclude, the sustainable working life was the largest cluster group. Few individuals had prolonged periods of interruptions of sustainable working life meriting actions, especially in early adulthood for interventions to support workability. Full article

(1) Background: To explore the relationship between health status, social security status, and the occurrence of depression in older adults and provide a basis for mental health care services for the elderly population; (2) Methods: This study used the 2018 China Health and Senior Care Tracking Survey (CHARLS) data to select 8383 older people aged over 60 years old as the research subjects. The two-category Logistic model was used to analyze the research problem; (3) Results: Older adults with depressive tendencies accounted for 34.1% of the total older adults. The incidence of depression among female older adults reached 41.51%. The risk of depression in the elderly population was 40.3% lower in males than in females (OR = 0.597, 95% CI: 0.539–0.662). Self-rated health status, physical disability, and receipt of pensions affected the incidence of depression in older adults (all p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: Focus on and intervene in the mental status of elderly females and disabled elderly people. Provide mental and economic support and mental health care services to the elderly at the family and social levels. Promote the healthy development of the mental health of the elderly and promote active aging. Full article

Under the background of an accelerating population aging process, China is facing the issues of a weakening household pension function and an insufficient social pension service supply. It is urgent to establish a perfect diversified pension service supply model. The theory of welfare pluralism advocates the participation of multiple subjects in social old-age services and emphasizes that social organizations play an important role in the provision of old-age services. This paper, under the perspective of welfare pluralism, discusses the problems and reasons existing in the endowment service supply in our country, and on the basis of the advanced international experience, it puts forward a new mode for resolving the problems in the endowment service supply, namely the “116 endowment service supply model”. This mode advocates that a top-level design at the national level is necessary, together with cooperation among the community, family, workplace, folk society, market and school in the national endowment service information platform, aiming at building a unified, coordinated and complementary model of diversified elderly care service supply. Full article

We examine the future benefits of the Israeli privatized pension system, which is considered as a model of transition to funded pension systems worldwide. This research is based on an extensive database obtained from one of the largest traditional private funds in the market. The results paint a concerning picture regarding the adequacy of benefits and quality of life in old age. Israel’s radical privatized pension model signals a warning to other nations. We show that, even with high returns, most individuals cannot handle the magnitude of financial and labor risks accumulated during their career and retirement. We recommend more balanced government intervention as well as the use of risk-sharing mechanisms such as providing minimum pension guarantee and strengthening the unfunded social security pillar. Full article

China is facing an increasingly contradictory challenge between growing demand for health services for the oldest-old and the unbalanced and inadequate development in the context of rapid population aging. This study sought to evaluate the quality of life of the oldest-old in China under the active aging framework. Health, participation, and security data were sourced from China Statistics/Labor Statistics/Civil Affairs Yearbook 2000–2016 and National 1% Sample Survey Data 2005–2015. Then, we used the current life table, entropy method, coefficient variation, and panel data regression to evaluate the quality of life among the oldest-old and reveal its regional differences and mechanisms. The results show: (1) From 2005 to 2015, the overall quality of life in China steadily improved, and the quality of health, participation, and security of the oldest-old increased by 6.06%, 5.64%, and 47.48%, respectively. (2) Distinct regional disparities exist in the distribution of quality of life for the oldest-old in China; the “east–northeast–middle–west” stepped-declining pattern existed stably. (3) Population and family structure, economic development, and social security were the main reasons for the regional differences in quality of life for the oldest-old. Narrowing the socioeconomic gap between regions, promoting the function of family pension, and improving social old-age service supply will help improve the quality of life of the oldest-old. Full article

The issues of farmers’ old-age security and land use have long been the focus of Chinese scholars’ and governmental attention. Land transfer plays a vital role in promoting agricultural scale operations, adjusting agricultural structures, and improving land utilization, while the old-age security function of land is one of the important factors affecting land transfer. Based on the data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study uses the probit and structural equation models to explore social pension and family support mechanisms and pathways with regard to farmers’ land transfer. The results show that: (1) Social pension has a significant negative effect on farmers’ rent-out land, but a significant positive effect on rent-in land. Compared to farmers who do not participate in the New Rural Pension System (NRPS), the probability of rent-out land for farmers who participated in NRPS decreased by 2.44%, and rent-in land increased by 2.26%. (2) Family support has a significant positive effect on farmers’ rent-out land, but a negative effect on rent-in land. (3) Agricultural labor time plays a mediating role in the effect of social pension and family support on both farmers’ rent-out land and rent-in land. Full article