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Age Reporting in the CLHLS: A Re-assessment

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Healthy Longevity in China

Part of the book series: The Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis ((PSDE,volume 20))

Abstract

Age reporting among respondents in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey is examined, using the first round of data collected in 1998. The sample design limits the use of traditional methods for assessing the accuracy of age reporting, and innovative methods are adopted. Only the sample aged 100+ is representative of the population at that age. The age structure of centenarians is compared with populations with good age reporting, demonstrating age exaggeration. At ages 80+, constructed estimates of age at childbearing show systematic effects consistent with age exaggeration, particularly in Guangxi and among ethnic minorities. Increasing age exaggeration with age is present in these data, which is at least partly the result of the age structure. These findings have implications for substantive analyses, and further examination of the quality of these data is needed.

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Booth, H., Zhao, Z. (2008). Age Reporting in the CLHLS: A Re-assessment. In: Yi, Z., Poston, D.L., Vlosky, D.A., Gu, D. (eds) Healthy Longevity in China. The Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6752-5_5

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