Trends in Living Arrangements Among China's Oldest- and Extreme-Old

Abstract

Although a large majority of very old in China have traditionally lived in coresidential situations with an adult child, an arrangement that facilitates intergenerational informal support, changing demographic and economic realities could be impelling higher rates of independent living. At the same time, deep-rooted cultural norms encouraging filial piety and family solidarity are difficult to discard. With an eye toward assessing the degree to which filial piety and family solidarity have given way in China to a trend toward living more independently, this paper examines how living arrangement situations among oldest- and extreme-old have changed. Categories include living independently, meaning alone or with spouse only, with and without children nearby, and coresidentially in the same household as children or with others. Results are based on 1998–2014 data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (N = 54,623). This allows for comparisons across rarely studied age segments: octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians. Results indicate dramatic changes in household structure for the very old over a 16-year period. However, there were variations by age groups and rural/urban residence. Rural octogenarians experienced the greatest decline in coresidential living and biggest increase in independent arrangements. Changes in living arrangements were consistent across those with and without a disability. Most of the increase in independent living was a function of being more likely to live alone or only with a spouse but with adult children nearby rather than children being at a distance. While older persons have been increasingly likely to live independently, the increase in living near children might suggest maintenance of cultural norms in the face of demographic and economic change. Therefore, there is mixed support for hypotheses about the maintenance of filial piety and family solidarity and reason to believe in a balance between increasing desires for independence versus persistence of feelings of family unity.