Vulnerable Older Adults’ Identification, Geographic Distribution, and Policy Implications in China

Xiaoyi Jin, Yanjun Liu, Zhaoyuan Hu and Wei Du
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Xiaoyi Jin: School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China
Yanjun Liu: School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China
Zhaoyuan Hu: School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China
Wei Du: School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: With the population aging and urbanization in China, vulnerable older adults tend to show more complex characteristics, bringing great challenges to public health policies. Using China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey data 2014, this paper builds a comprehensive index system for the identification of vulnerable older adults from three dimensions, including health, economy, and social support, then divides older adults into four support levels and six small classes by using the typological method. The results show that older adults in urgent need of assistance or priority are those poor in health and economic conditions, 1.46% of them are highly vulnerable because of the lack of social support; 12.76% of them obtain a certain social support are moderately vulnerable; and 34.72% of them are slightly vulnerable with disadvantage in only one dimension. The geographic distribution of different types of vulnerable older adults varies significantly. The paper provides evidence to design more feasible and specific policies with comprehensive considerations for different types of vulnerable older adults residing in different regions.

Keywords: vulnerable older adults; latent class analysis; geographic distribution; policy implications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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