Who Will Care for the Elderly:Urban-rural Differences in Attitudes toward Old-age Welfare
The Seventh National Population Census data signify that China has entered the stage of advanced population aging,with a wave of"baby boomers"soon surging into their old age stage.This raises compelling inquiries about pension distribution.Previous studies have scrutinized policy guidelines,government functions,or fiscal components for this goal,disregarding subjective views on pensions.Despite some extant studies having concentrated on welfare perceptions,they predominantly contrast international perspectives or study historical trends,neglecting rural/urban distinctions and evolution.This paper utilizes amalgamated cross-sectional data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2010 and 2018 to comprehend differences and evolution of attitudes towards elderly care welfare between urban and rural areas employing logit models,and conducts rigorous robustness tests.The findings of this paper are as follows.Firstly,individuals are still inclined to depend on family rather than the state as the primary provider of pension services.Secondly,an appreciable shift in preferences towards the state for pension provision is observed,reflecting a transition from familial obligation towards state commitment.Thirdly,pension attitudes demonstrate significant rural and urban disparities,with non-farming residents favoring increased state involvement contrasted with their agricultural peers.Fourthly,evolving attitudes diverge between rural and urban regions,with farmers shifting towards formal retirement schemes more swiftly.Contrary to prior work,this paper examines both rural/urban disparities in elderly care welfare attitudes and their evolution amid modernization.This paper identifies a rising trend towards collective government responsibilities and markedly higher affinity amongst farmers for institutionalized retirement schemes.Comprehending public perceptions can anchor social security reform's authority.Consequently,policymakers must address populist wishes concerning pensions,take the helm in protecting society,actively tackle farmer expectations for enhanced pensions,and avoid welfare pitfalls when fulfilling welfare demands but circumvent reoccurring errors as welfare states.
welfare attitudepension responsibilitysubject preferenceurban-rural differencesaging population
万方数据
维普
