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Determinants of elderly residential mobility in Southern China: Exploration and implications

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Abstract

It is a widely accepted observation that many older Hong Kong residents have lived periodically on the Chinese mainland since the relaxation of restrictions on cross-border mobility and the closer connection between Hong Kong and the mainland. This paper explores and compares the determinants of various modes of residential mobility by Hong Kong retirees to the Pearl River Delta based on the data of two samples—one from Hong Kong and the other from the mainland. The findings support those of studies in Western societies that the decision of elderly residential mobility can be effectively predicted by the personal attributes, place ties, and person ties of the retirees, and that the effects of these factors vary with different modes of retiree mobility. The implications of these findings for the formulation of migration and housing policies for the older population and the economic development of amenity communities are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Room 1324, K.K. Leung Building, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

    Ambrose Ma (associate professor, Fellow) & Nelson W. S. Chow (chair professor, Director)

Authors
  1. Ambrose Ma
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  2. Nelson W. S. Chow
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ambrose Ma.

Additional information

He is also a Research Associate at the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement in Toronto, Canada. His research interests are elderly residential mobility, gerontology and geriatrics education, and the help-seeking behavior of older people. Dr. Ma’s latest study concerns the utilization and accessibility of human services for older residents in Hong Kong.

He is also a reviewer of several international journals. Dr. Chow’s research interests are social security policies and practice, social policies and services for older people, and family support. The focus of his latest research project is the service needs of new immigrants to Hong Kong.

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Ma, A., Chow, N.W.S. Determinants of elderly residential mobility in Southern China: Exploration and implications. Ageing Int. 31, 59–70 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-006-1004-8

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