Study On Elderly Residents’ Living Arrangements And Residential Mobility In China And Europe

In recent years,the aging of the population has become a global trend.Societies are facing severe challenges brought about by the aging of the population.Residential issues of Chinese older people have attracted a lot of attention.Among them,the living arrangement and residential mobility are related to the provision of family and social pension services for elderly residents,and with the improvement of the welfare system for elderly residents and the rising convenience of relocation,they have gradually become the active choices of elderly residents.The elderly residents’ decision-making mechanism and impact of living arrangements and residential mobility are closely related to the improvement of the welfare and quality of life for senior citizens.This dissertation examines the living arrangements and residential mobility of elderly residents from the perspective of comparison between China and European countries.First of all,based on the micro survey data for elderly residents in China,the United Kingdom,and Europe,the thesis makes a statistical analysis of the living arrangements and residential mobility of elderly residents in China and Europe.The study finds that compared to older residents in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe,the proportion of older Chinese residents who choose to live with their children is higher among all senior citizens.At the same time,the proportion of elderly Chinese residents who move is higher.The living arrangements and residential mobility of elderly residents in China and Europe have certain heterogeneity at the time and at the regional level.Secondly,based on the micro survey data,the thesis conducts empirical research on the influencing factors of living arrangements and residential mobility of elderly residents in China,the United Kingdom,and the Continental Europe.The results of the study show that personal factors,family characteristics,financial issues and policies or the environment are the main factors affecting the living arrangements of elderly residents.The provision of ancillary facilities in housing has a significant difference in the impact of the living arrangements of elderly residents in China and Europe.At the same time,personal factors,family characteristics,financial issues,and the housing market are the key factors affecting the residential mobility of elderly residents.Personal factors,family characteristics and the housing market have significant differences in the impact of the residential mobility of elderly residents in China and Europe.Thirdly,based on the micro survey data,this thesis empirically studies the effects of living arrangements and residential mobility of elderly residents in China,the UK,and the Continental Europe on the life satisfaction.In China,the United Kingdom,and the Continental Europe,living with children will significantly reduce the life satisfaction of senior citizens and there is a certain degree of regional heterogeneity.As for the residential mobility,the relocation of residences,the change of living arrangements and the increase or decrease of housing area have a significant impact on the life satisfaction of elderly residents,and there are significant differences between China and Europe.Finally,based on the results of the study on the living arrangements and residential mobility of elderly residents,the paper proposes corresponding policies and suggestions for the Chinese society to respond to the challenge of population aging.Protecting the housing conditions and promoting age-friendly housing,as well as establishing and improving the service supply system for the elderly residents can effectively improve their welfare.This thesis investigates the living arrangements and residential mobility of the Chinese and European older people from a microscopic and cross-country comparative perspective,which leads to better understanding of the differences in decision-making process between older people in China and Europe,as a complementation for the existing literature.