Redai dili (Jun 2023)
Off-Site Pension, Migrant Families, and the Settlement Intention of Older Migrants in China
Abstract
Older population migration has become a normal occurrence that requires further systematic attention. The reasons for older migration in contemporary China exhibit a diversified trend. However, existing literature rarely discusses the impact of migration reasons on the settlement intention of the mobile older population. In China, where the aging demographic is increasing, the residence choice of the older floating population with their families presents a significant difference among cities and regions. Therefore, from the perspective of comparative analysis, to address the gap in the literature, there is an urgent need to reveal the influence mechanism of the settlement intention of the floating older population under different categories of reasons for mobility. Such an approach is of great significance for local governments to conduct differentiated management of the floating older population according to local conditions, provide equal health care services for older people, and promote a new wave of urbanization. In addition to continuous aging and urbanization in China, the migration reasons and characteristics of the older migrant population are diversified. While family migration is still the main reason for the mobility of older people in China, there is an increasingly evident demand for off-site pension, which presents new requirements for the government to actively respond to the aging and carry out services for different kinds of migrant older people. This study explores the influence mechanism of two typical mobility reasons (off-site pension and family migration) on the settlement intention of migrant older people. We adopt the multi-level logistic regression model based on the 2017 China Migrant Population Dynamic Survey. This study derives the following main results. First, the settlement intention of off-site older people is significantly promoted, while the intentions of the family accompany-migrated older people are not convincing. The intention of the former is 14.3% higher than the latter. Second, personal and family characteristics (demographic factors, socioeconomic status, social integration status) and inflow characteristics (urban scale, urban public services, urban environment) both affect the settlement intention of migrant older people. Third, there are different mechanisms for the settlement intention of migrant older people with different reasons for migration. The family is the core of the settlement choice for family migration, while the livability of the environment mitigates its effect. Fourth, the settlement choice of the off-site older people depends on the purpose of personal pension. This kind of migrant older people focus more on external conditions such as favorable policies of urban agglomeration and convenient pension facilities. They will be more easily affected by the social network connection of the inflow place. An in-depth understanding of the migration reasons and characteristics of migrant older people can aid in the provision of better public services. The conclusions of this study provide a reference for local governments to carry out differentiated governance of migrant older people, promote new urbanization, and equalize public services.
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