Consumption Structure in Urban and Rural Areas and Self-Rated Health of the Elderly: A Survey Based on Chinese General Social Survey

Zhaojing Liu,Bin Li

doi:10.3390/su132011530

Abstract

Health inequality is an aspect of social inequality, and has now become an important problem in the current society. This article uses the data from the Chinese General Social Survey (2017) (CGSS2017) and uses the Multinomial Logistic Models method to analyze the elderly population (over 60 years old) across the country. The study found that the differences in the basic consumption of food and daily necessities among the elderly are relatively small; while consumer goods that reflect the differentiation of social classes such as clothing consumption and cultural consumption have a significant impact on the elderly. Travel consumption status also has a certain impact on the self-rated health choices of the elderly, but housing consumption has no effect on these choices. Thess results pave the way for investigating health from the perspective of socioeconomic status in academic circles. By using this consumption pattern analysis it is possible to analyze the health of the elderly population more effectively. In the future supply of consumer goods, it is possible to strengthen the consumption and supply of cultural tastes for the elderly, enhance the beauty and value of the lifestyle of the elderly, and increase the health of the elderly. At the same time, due to the significant impact of urban–rural differences in the health of the elderly, it is necessary to improve the living security level of the rural elderly, reduce the difference in public services between urban and rural elderly groups, and promote urban–rural integration.

Highlights

IntroductionThere is a consensus in academic circles that the main standard of social stratification is the type and possession level of resources, including economic resources, professional resources, political power resources, cultural resources, social relations resources, subjective reputation resources, civil rights resources and human resources
For the social and economic status factors represented by annual income and the lifestyle factors represented by physical exercise and consumption, structure factors were used to verify whether they were applicable to the elderly group
Clothing consumption, cultural consumption and other consumer goods reflecting social stratum differentiation have a significant impact on the self-rated health choices of the elderly [10]

Summary

Introduction

There is a consensus in academic circles that the main standard of social stratification is the type and possession level of resources, including economic resources, professional resources, political power resources, cultural resources, social relations resources, subjective reputation resources, civil rights resources and human resources. Due to the different resource types and possession levels, individuals belong to different social strata. A postmodern sociologist, put forward the theory of “individuation of social inequality” [1]. He believes that the traditional class structure that restricts people is gradually disappearing, the characteristics of an objective class structure and individual lifestyle are gradually separated, and individuals are increasingly likely to reinvent themselves [2]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion