A Study of Correlates of Life Satisfaction among Older People in Putian, Fujian, China

The present study is to examine the factors correlated significantly with life satisfaction among older people in China. The patterns of correlates of life satisfaction for two groups of respondents with different hukous are also examined. The study adopts a quantitative research method. The sample involves 532 older people aged 60 and over in Putian, Fujian, China, 269 with a non-agricultural hukou and 263 with an agricultural hukou.;Based on human ecological model proposed by Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 2000), the researcher identifies some potential correlates of older people's life satisfaction within three levels, i.e., individual, interpersonal, and cultural levels. The individual level variables include sex, age, marital status, hukou, education, finance, and health. The interpersonal level variables include leisure activity participation, informal social support, and intergenerational relations. The cultural level variables include the degree of having mianzi in social interactions and the endorsement of positive Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity.;The results of bivariate analyses indicate that all independent variables in three levels are correlated significantly with life satisfaction of older people. The results of hierarchical regression analysis demonstrate that financial strain, leisure activity participation, satisfaction with social support, family harmony, filial support, the degree of having mianzi in social interactions, and the endorsement of positive Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity are correlated significantly with life satisfaction of older people.;For two groups of respondents with different hukous, correlation analyses indicate that all independent variables in three levels are correlated significantly with life satisfaction respectively. Regression analyses reveal that filial support, the degree of having mianzi in social interactions, and the endorsement of positive Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity are significant predictors of life satisfaction for both groups of respondents. However, the variables of annual income, leisure activity participation, satisfaction with social support, and filial discrepancy are significant predictors for the respondents with an agricultural hukou . The variables of financial strain and self-perceived health are significant predictors for the respondents with a non-agricultural hukou.;The present study contributes to our understanding of the correlates of life satisfaction among older people as follow. First, the study seeks to extend beyond previous studies by including measures of hukou, the degree of having mianzi in social interactions, and the endorsement of positive Chinese cultural belief about adversity. The findings show that older people with a non-agricultural hukou have higher life satisfaction than their counterparts with an agricultural hukou. The findings also demonstrate that the degree of having mianzi in social interactions and the endorsement of positive Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity are significant predictors of life satisfaction among older respondents. Second, the findings of the present study indicate that ecological model can serve as a useful theoretical framework to examine the correlates of life satisfaction among older people. Based on the findings, the significance and implications of the study as well as the limitations of the present study are also addressed.