A Comparative Study on the Quality of Life of Urban and Rural Elderly Population in China
我国城乡老年人口生活质量比较研究

Quality of life of the elderly population is of an increasing concern,and the understanding of the subjective well-being of the elderly population will help improve it.Based on data from a survey of urban and rural elderly people in Hangzhou,we econometrically analyzed its demographic characteristics,including parent-child relationship,economic conditions,physical and mental health,living conditions.It is found that urban elders are happier than rural elders. Children's filial piety has a significant effect and is the most important factor for the subjective well-being of both urban and rural elderly populations.Economic conditions,job satisfaction, marriage,sex are the other common factors,but the degree of influence is different between urban and rural populations.In addition,there are still some different influential factors:in urban model are the personal characteristics,such as self-care and the number of children,while in the rural model are the economic and social security factors such as income sources and the approach to protect themselves when their rights and interests are violated.In short,there are different needs for urban and rural elderly people to improve their quality of life.While urban elders focus on spiritual needs,rural elders still need to meet the material ones first.