Living Arrangement Preferences of Elderly People in Taiwan as Affected by Family Resources and Social Participation

Abstract

This article investigates living arrangement preferences of elderly people in Taiwan, including coresidence with family (their children or spouse), coresidence with spouse only, living alone, and living in an institution. The authors consider the effects of three factors: the elderly persons’ health situation, their family resources, and their social participation, such as community workshops or political activities. Accordingly, the authors propose empirical logit models based on the well-developed discrete choice theory. Empirical results reveal that (1) elderly people with higher socioeconomic status, prefer either independent living arrangements or coresidence with their children, (2) elderly people with more family resources, such as large family size, prefer to coreside with their children, and (3) elderly people with adequate social support and/or contact networks prefer independent living arrangements.