Study on the Impact of Children's Economic Support on Social Participation of Urban and Rural Elderly People

Abstract

With the acceleration of China's aging population and the significant problem of fewer children, this study aims to explore the phenomenon of neglecting the social participation status of the elderly. To this end, the 2018 China Health and Elderly Care Tracking Survey was adopted. Using CHARLS data and STATA data analysis method to study the impact of children's economic support on the social participation of elderly people. The research results indicate that children's economic support has a significant positive impact on the social participation of the elderly, and this result is tested for endogeneity and robustness. The heterogeneity test between urban and rural areas shows that the positive impact of children's economic support on social participation of rural elderly is higher than that of urban elderly; Gender heterogeneity test shows that children's economic support has a positive impact on female social participation. Research has found that female participation has a higher positive impact than male participation. In addition, for elderly people who do not take care of their grandchildren, the economic support of their children has a significant negative impact on their social participation, while the positive impact on elderly people who take care of their grandchildren is not significant. The research in this article helps to clarify the actual impact of children's economic support on the social participation of the elderly, and improve the implementation effect of active aging policies.