Environment and subjective well-being of rural Chinese elderly: a multilevel analysis.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of environment on the subjective well-being (SWB) of older Chinese villagers after controlling for personal and social characteristics. METHOD Data collected from the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey Pilot Study were used to examine the relationship between (a) SWB (i.e., happiness and depressive symptoms) of Chinese rural elderly and (b) environmental characteristics, controlling for personal and social characteristics. A total of 850 older villagers from 2 Chinese provinces were analyzed using multilevel regression models. RESULTS Five of the 8 environmental variables had significant effects on SWB: A natural disaster in the past 5 years, rainy days, and use of coal in the home were associated with lower SWB, whereas village wealth and sewer system were associated with higher SWB. Personal and social characteristics of importance included health, age, place of birth, perception that future help is available if needed, and providing help to others. DISCUSSION The proposition that the environment of older Chinese villagers is associated with their SWB was supported after accounting for personal and social characteristics. SWB may be improved by improving environments as well as by changes to personal and social conditions.