Social Support and Self-Reported Quality of Life China’s Oldest Old

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore how social support affects self-reported quality of life for the elderly (aged 80 and above) in China. We use data from the first wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted in 1998. Our results show clearly that all sources of social support are beneficial to quality of life. One’s living arrangement, as one measure of social support, plays an important role. The elderly who live alone report the lowest quality of life. Paradoxically, the elderly who live in nursing homes report a higher quality of life than those living with children.We examined this paradox by comparing the differences in characteristics of those living in nursing homes and those living with children. Finally, we discuss the implications of these results for societies that are experiencing rapid aging as a result of sharp fertility declines.