The Status Quos and Causes of Concentrated Elderly Populations in Old Urban Communities in China

Abstract

The global population is aging rapidly and irreversibly, posing severe challenges to sustainable development. In China, a rapidly senescent population elucidates the urgency of actualizing healthy aging which supports a harmonious intergeneration relationship and a dynamic economy. Previous studies have evidenced the adverse effects of poor housing conditions on the well-being of the elderly. This study highlighted the potential risks to healthy aging from concentrating the elderly population in antiquated urban communities in China. It illustrated the facts and explored the reasons for the agglomeration by conducting a theoretical analysis grounded in residential migration theories along with an empirical analysis using China’s 1% national population sample survey and the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). First, the proportion of elderly residents of timeworn urban communities was found to be significantly 9.9% higher than the younger group, so senior populations were more likely to be exposed to isolation and health risks, physical and psychological, under poor housing conditions. Meanwhile, the elderly stayed in decaying habitations because of their disadvantageous economic status, less consciousness of upgrading demands, and close social connections. Therefore, the government should foster increasing cohesion between advancements in urban renewal and the refinement of the pension system to promote healthy aging in China.