Intergenerational Relations and Subjective Well-Being among Chinese Oldest-Old

Abstract

This research examines how intergenerational relations impact subjective well-being among the elderly aged 85 and over in China. Through analyzing data from the 2011 wave of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), the results show that better intergenerational relations promote the elderly’s positive feelings and reduce their negative feelings. The findings also suggest that the influence of intergenerational relations on Chinese oldest-old’s subjective well-being varies by gender and residence. In addition, financial support from children or financial exchanges with offspring is found to decrease negative feelings of the Chinese oldest-old, but it does not improve their positive feelings. Such results emphasize that non-financial support from offspring may be more important factors than financial support in promoting the Chinese oldest-old’s subjective well-being. The research draws future research attention to exploring non-financial forms of intergenerational support to promote Chinese oldest-old’s subjective well-being.