Living Arrangements and Subjective Well-Being among the Chinese Elderly

This research examines how household context mediates with social participation and intergenerational relations to impact subjective well-being among the elderly aged 65 and over in China. Through analyzing data from the 2011 wave of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), the results show that living alone or in institutions links to negative well-being of the elderly. A higher level of social participation and better intergenerational relations promote positive well-being and reduce negative well-being. However, only social participation interacts with living arrangements when influencing the elderly’s subjective well-being. Specifically, a higher level of social integration significantly reduces negative well-being for individuals living in institutions. The findings call future research attention to explore factors that may reduce negative well-being of the elderly living alone or living in institutions.