eprintid: 4713
rev_number: 5
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1
dir: disk0/00/00/47/13
datestamp: 2024-08-21 13:49:00
lastmod: 2024-08-21 13:49:00
status_changed: 2024-08-21 13:49:00
type: thesis
metadata_visibility: show
sword_depositor: 1
creators_name: Ye, Zeqing
creators_id: S5343917
creators_email: zeqingye@gmail.com
title: Under what spatial conditions do Chinese urban elderly people wish to grow older?
ispublished: unpub
full_text_status: public
abstract: Population ageing has become a severe problem faced by all countries in the
world. According to the seventh population census, China's population aged 60 and
above has reached 264 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total population. Since
2020, China has entered a deep stage of population aging. It is estimated that by 2050,
the total number of elderly people in China will exceed 400 million. Population
ageing will bring great challenges to China's healthcare, elderly care, social security,
and other aspects. In response to population aging, the report of the 20th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed to "implement a national
strategy to actively respond to population ageing". In addition, active ageing, as a
long-term national strategy of China, has been written into the outline of the "14th
Five-Year Plan".
Ageing in place is currently the mainstream concept in gerontology literature to
promote active ageing, which enables older adults to enjoy their later years in familiar
family and community settings. It is believed to help older adults maintain
independence, autonomy, and access to social support. However, not all external
environments are suitable for ageing in place, and different older adults may be
different in their most suitable ageing modes. Therefore, answering the question of
what kind of older adults in what kind of environmental conditions are more inclined
to ageing in place is of great significance for promoting active ageing at a deeper level.
At present, there is a considerable amount of literature exploring the impact of
different scales of environment on the health and quality of life of older adults from
the perspectives of urban planning, sociology, gerontology, and geography of aging.
There are also some studies exploring the optimization of space and planning
strategies for elderly-friendly and livable environments. However, there is a lack of
research on the influence of the environment on older adults' ageing intention.
Based on the perspective of active ageing and the theoretical framework of
congruence between older adults and the environment, this study uses data from the
2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLASS) and the 2019 China
Statistical Yearbook, along with research methods such as logistic regression models,
ArcGIS spatial data visualization, and interaction effect models, to explore themechanisms that influence the ageing in place intention of older adults with different
individual characteristics. The research considers both micro-level community
environments and macro-level regional environments.
The findings are as follows: (1) Satisfaction with the physical environment of the
community has a significant positive impact on older adults' intention of ageing in
place. (2) While community social support does not have a direct significant influence
on older adults' intention of ageing in place, it can indirectly affect this intention by
moderating the influence of the physical environment satisfaction. (3) Regional
environments also affect older adults' ageing in place intention. Specifically, warm
and humid regions positively influence this intention, while provinces with a higher
number of elderly care beds per capita negatively impact it. Additionally, intention of
ageing in place is influenced by regional culture. The intention among the elderly in
the Northeast Cultural Region and Central China Cultural Region is the highest, while
that in the Northwest Cultural Region is the lowest. (4) The interaction between
certain individual characteristics of older adults and the environment affects their
intention of ageing in place. Older adults with varying health statuses and economic
situations exhibit different levels of influence from the environment on their intention.
Based on these findings, this study proposes policy recommendations focused on
improving the physical and social environments of communities, optimizing the
allocation of elderly care resources across different regions, and prioritizing the needs
of vulnerable older adults.
date: 2024
pages: 83
thesis_type: master
degree_programme: SP
tutors_name: Rijnks, R.H.
tutors_organization: Fac. Ruimtelijke wetenschappen, Spatial Planning & Design
tutors_email: R.H.Rijnks@rug.nl
security: public
keywords_local: Ageing in place
keywords_local: Active ageing
keywords_local: Community environment
keywords_local: Regional environment
keywords_local: Cultural environment
language_iso: en
date_issued: 2024-08-20
comment: no
citation:   Ye, Zeqing  (2024) Under what spatial conditions do Chinese urban elderly people wish to grow older?  Master thesis.   
document_url: https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4713/1/Zeqing-Ye-Dissertation-.pdf