Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neighbourhood Determinants for Life Satisfaction of Older People in Beijing

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Mobility, Sociability and Well-being of Urban Living

Abstract

Demographic change and ageing societies are an increasingly critical issue for researchers and policymakers across the world and in particular in China, where the government’s population control strategies have since the late 1970s substantially changed social and demographic structures. At the same time, the traditional role of families in caring for elderly people is diminishing. In this situation, the neighbourhood as a living environment and as a platform for service provision is growing in importance for the elderly. Building on the authors’ previous proposition that age-friendly urban planning needs to take differences between neighbourhood types into account, the objective of this study is to identify which neighbourhood factors concretely contribute to the life satisfaction of seniors in different Beijing neighbourhoods. For this purpose, we used structural equation modelling (SEM) and found social support to be the primary neighbourhood factor affecting life satisfaction amongst the urban elderly in Beijing. We then differentiated between aged neighbourhoods with a high number of older people and others with less elderly residents, and found dwelling conditions and community-provided senior services to be additional critical indicators of satisfaction in the former and accessibility to services in the latter. Accordingly, we suggest tailoring government interventions that aim at age-friendly environments differently in different neighbourhoods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andersen, R. M. (1995). Revisiting the behavioral model and access to medical care: Does it matter? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36(3), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, G. J., & Phillips, D. R. (2005). Ageing and place: Perspectives, policy, practice. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atchley, R. C. (2000). Social forces and aging: an introduction to social gerontology. San Francisco: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aureli, E., & Baldazzi, B. (2002). Unequal perceived quality of life among elderly Italians. Social Indicators Research, 60, 309–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beijing 1 % Population Sample Survey Office. (2007). 2005 Beijing 1 % population sample survey. Beijing: China Statistics Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beijing Municipal Statistics Bureau. (2012). Beijing statistical yearbook 2011. Beijing: China Statistics Press. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Breitung, W. (2012). Enclave urbanism in China: Attitudes towards gated communities in Guangzhou. Urban Geography, 33(2), 278–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai, Y. W. (2010). Activity space of urban elderly in China. Beijing: Science Press. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., Rodgers, W. L. (1976). The quality of american life: Perceptions, evaluations, and satisfactions. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cao, Z. D., & Wang, J. F. (2008). Strata efficiency and optimization strategy of stratified sampling on spatial population. Progress in Geography, 27(3), 152–160. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Carp, F. M., & Christensen, D. L. (1986). Technical environmental assessment predictors of residential satisfaction: a study of elderly women living alone. Research on Aging, 8, 269–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chong, A. M. L. (2003). Validating the accuracy of the resident satisfaction measure. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 18, 203–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CPC. Central Committee and State Council. (2011). Construction plan of the social senior care service system (2011–2015), China. Retrieved from: www.mca.gov.cn/article/zwgk/mzyw/201112/20111200247654.shtml. (In Chinese).

  • Diener, E. (1994). Assessing subjective well-being: Progress and opportunities. Social Indicators Research, 31(2), 103–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, R., & Harrison, A. R. (1993). Two-dimensional systematic sampling of land use. Applied Statistics, 42(4), 585–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, S. (2009). Community and aging: Maintaining a quality of life in housing with care settings. Bristol: Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar, M. (1995). Elderly people’s definitions of quality of life. Social Science and Medicine, 41(10), 1439–1446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez-Ballesteros, R. (2001). Environmental conditions, health and satisfaction among the elderly- some empirical results. Psicothema, 13(1), 40–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, J. (2005). Review of subjective well-being of old people. Science of Social Psychology, 2, 19–37. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, X. L. (2013). Preference of the urban elderly for caring facilities: Variation across different communities. China Soft Science, 1, 103–114. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, X. L., Yan, B. Q., & Ji, J. (2012). Urban elders’ desirable caring patterns and its rationality. Progress in Geography, 31(10), 1274–1281. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J. (1976). Subjective measures of quality of life in Britain: 1971 to 1975. Social Trends, 7, 47–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesketh, S. R., & Skrondal, A. (2004). Generalized multilevel structural equation modelling. Psychometrika, 69(2), 167–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooyman, N. R., & Kiyak, H. A. (1988). Social gerontology: A multidisciplinary perspective. London: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoyle, R. H. (1995). Structure equation model—Concepts, issues, and applications. California: Sage Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jirovec, R. L., Jirovec, M. M., & Bosse, R. (1985). Residential satisfaction as a function of micro and macro environmental conditions among urban elderly men. Research on Aging, 7, 601–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R. (1985). Nature at the doorstep: residential satisfaction and the nearby environment. Journal of Architectural and Planning Research, 2, 115–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practice of structural equation modelling (3rd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knox, P., & Pinch, S. (2000). Urban social geography: An introduction. Hong Kong: Pearson Education Asia Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koufteros, X., & Marcoulides, G. A. (2006). Product development practices and performance: A structural equation modelling-based multi-group analysis. International Journal of Production Economics, 103(1), 286–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawton, M. P. (1983). Environment and other determinants of well-being in older people. The Gerontologist, 23, 349–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawton, M. P., & Simon, B. B. (1968). The ecology of social relationships in housing for the elderly. The Gerontologist, 8, 108–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, D. M., Chen, T. Y., & Li, H. F. (2009). Community-based elderly care service and its effect on life satisfaction of elderly in China. Chinese Journal of Gerontology, 29(19), 2513–2515. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Michalos, A. C., Hubley, A. M., Zumbo, B. D., & Hemingway, D. (2001). Health and other aspects of the quality of life of older people. Social Indicators Research, 54, 239–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mottus, R., Gale, C. R., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2012). “On the street where you live”: Neighborhood deprivation and quality of life among community-dwelling older people in Edinburgh, Scotland. Social Science & Medicine, 74(9), 1368–1374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oswald, F., & Wahl, H.-W. (2005). Dimensions of the meaning of home. In G. D. Rowles & H. Chaudhury (Eds.), Home and identity in late life: International perspectives (pp. 21–45). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perez, F. R., Fernandez-Mayoralas, F. G., Rivera, E. P., & Abuin, J. M. R. (2001). Ageing in place: Predictors of the residential satisfaction of elderly. Social Indicator Research, 54, 173–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, D. R., Siu, O. L., Yeh, A. G., & Cheng, K. H. (2005). The impacts of dwelling conditions on older persons’ psychological well-being in Hong Kong: The mediating role of residential satisfaction. Social Science and Medicine, 60, 2785–2797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prieto-Flores, M., Fernandez-Mayoralas, G., Forjaz, M. J., Rojo-Perez, F., & Martinez-Martin, P. (2011). Residential satisfaction, sense of belonging and loneliness among older adults living in the community and in care facility. Health & Place, 17(6), 1183–1190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. W. (1998). Medical or health geography? Populations, people and places. International Journal of Population Geography, 4, 211–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowles, G. D., & Bernard, M. (2013). Environmental gerontology. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen, Z. (1986). Psychology and mental health of the elderly. Beijing: Peking University Press. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Somenahalli, S., & Shipton, M. (2013). Examining the distribution of the elderly and accessibility to essential services. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 104(2), 942–951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Temelová, J., & Dvořáková, N. (2012). Residential satisfaction of elderly in the city centre: The case of revitalizing neighborhoods in Prague. Cities, 29(5), 310–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2007). Global age-friendly cities: A guide. Retrieved from: www.who.int/ageing.

  • Wu, F. L. (1992). Urban community types and their characteristics in China. Urban Problem, 5, 24–27. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, Z. X. (2008). Starlight program of elderly community social services’ dilemma and solution. Social Work, 9, 29–38. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan, B. Q., & Gao, X. L. (2013). Analysis on the satisfaction of Beijing’s elderly people for caring services with structural equation model. International Conference on Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development (SPSD2013), Beijing, China.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zastrow, Z., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2009). Understanding human behaviour and the social environment (8th ed.). Singapore: Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeng, Y., & Wang, Z. L. (2004). Family and changes of living arrangement of the elderly in China. Chinese Journal of Population Science, 5, 2–8. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, Y. S., Breitung, W., & Li, S. M. (2012). The changing meaning of neighbourhood attachment in Chinese commodity housing estates: Evidence from Guangzhou. Urban Studies, 49, 2439–2457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This research work is funded by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC 41171138).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Lu, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100101, China

    Bingqiu Yan & Xiaolu Gao

  2. Beijing Opera Art’s College, Beijing, 100068, China

    Bingqiu Yan

  3. Department of Urban Planning and Design, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Dushu Hu Higher Education Town, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Werner Breitung

Authors
  1. Bingqiu Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaolu Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Werner Breitung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaolu Gao .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

    Donggen Wang

  2. Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong Department of Urban Planning and Design, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

    Shenjing He

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Yan, B., Gao, X., Breitung, W. (2016). Neighbourhood Determinants for Life Satisfaction of Older People in Beijing. In: Wang, D., He, S. (eds) Mobility, Sociability and Well-being of Urban Living. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48184-4_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48184-4_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-48183-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-48184-4

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation