Empirical Research on Factors Related to Subjective Well-Being in Chinese Elderly People

This paper used the data from China General Social Survey (CGSS) to examine factors related to Subjective Well-Being (SWB) in Chinese elderly people. We constructed a conceptual model adapted from Anderson’s health behavioral model and probed the associations between SWB and predisposing, enabling, need and health behavior factors. We discovered that higher SWB is more likely to be found in elderly people who have spouses accompanied, maintain good quality of relationship with family relatives and friends, have stronger need for recreational activities, have better health status, exercise more, perceive an increase in their current socio-economic status compared to previous situation, and remain optimistic about their future socio-economic status. Results also suggested that enabling factors (socio-economic status and quality of social connections) can impose more influence on elderly people’s SWB. Thus, policies that maintain or boost the perception of upward socio-economic mobility and that enhance harmony between older people and their relatives and friends should be given special consideration in future.