Living Arrangements, Intergenerational Ties and Well-Being of the Elderly in Beijing

Danzhen You, University of California, Berkeley

This paper investigates living arrangements among the elderly in Beijing and examines the effect of coresidence on intergenerational ties and of intergenerational ties in general on the well-being of the elderly. I examine these connections using data from the 1999 Living Condition Survey of Beijing Residents along with Logistic Regressions. I show that coresidence with adult children is still an important living arrangement for the elderly in Beijing. Housing resources and marriage status of the elderly play an important role in determining living arrangements. Coresidence substantially strengthens intergenerational ties related to financial support, physical support or daily care, and emotional support or communication. In urban districts, coresidence has little effect on the quality of living conditions, while strong intergenerational ties, rather than coresidence, greatly improve psychological well-being. In rural counties, coresidence impacts intergenerational ties and well-being more so than in urban districts, and strong intergenerational ties also improve well-being greatly.