当代经济科学2025，Vol.47Issue(3)：115-129,15.DOI:10.20069/j.cnki.DJKX.202503008
老年父母的真实需求:金钱还是陪伴
The Real Needs of Elderly Parents:Money or Companionship
摘要
Abstract
Traditional Chinese living arrangements were characterized by multi-generational cohabitation,adult children living with or near their parents,ensuring that elderly care needs were largely met,thereby achieving a balance between supply and demand for eldercare services.However,as the working-age population migrates from rural to urban areas,elderly parents often prefer to remain in rural areas due to lack urban social networks,discomfort with confined living spaces,reluctance to"burden"their children,or concerns about potential intergenerational conflicts.This has led to a pronounced intergenerational residential distance.This spatial separation disrupts the traditional supply of family-based eldercare,gradually deconstructing the equilibrium in eldercare provision.Yet,few studies have examined the long-term impact of such spatial separation on the quality of elderly care,nor have they conducted an in-depth analysis of the actual eldercare needs in rural areas. This study first theoretically analyzes the impact of intergenerational residential distance on the quality of eldercare for elderly parents,differentiating between the effects of children's companionship and financial support.Based on this foundation,we use empirical data from the Thousand-Village Survey conducted by Shanghai University of Finance and Economics,we examine how intergenerational residential distance influences elderly parents'subjective satisfaction,objective physical functioning,and mental health.Furthermore,we explore heterogeneity in these effects across different age groups,caregiving preferences,objective conditions,and visitation frequencies. The findings indicate that intergenerational residential distance has become the norm in rural households,a trend likely reinforced by adult children's increasing inclination toward urban settlement.This distance undermines traditional eldercare models,leading to a decline in care quality.Crucially,financial support cannot substitute companionship—while children's economic assistance improves elderly parents'financial conditions,it fails to mitigate the impact caused by intergenerational distance.However,increased visitation frequency weaken the negative impact of intergenerational distance on eldercare quality. Compared to existing literature,this study contributes in two key aspects:First,most prior studies rely on small samples,focusing primarily on either children's or elderly parents'objective conditions,without discussing the elderly's actual care preferences or conducting in-depth analyses of their mental health,thus failing to comprehensively reflect the overall eldercare situation.Second,existing research on the impact of children's migration on elderly parents is limited to discussing the increasing phenomenon of"empty-nest"or"left-behind elderly,"without deeply exploring its effects on elderly parents,especially comparative analyses of the trade-offs between improved financial conditions from remittances and the reduced eldercare provision due to diminished companionship.Therefore,from the perspective of elderly parents,this study systematically analyzes the impact of adult children's residential distance on the quality of eldercare for elderly parents,discussing the differential effects of children's economic support and companionship on elderly parents,thereby clarifying the genuine eldercare needs of rural elderly parents. This research helps to characterize the actual eldercare demands of rural elderly populations,providing guidance for meeting the needs and improving the well-being of elderly people under different intergenerational living arrangements.It also offers academic support for addressing gaps in rural eldercare services and advancing China's national strategy on proactive response to aging response.关键词
人口老龄化/劳动力流动/子女陪伴/经济支持/代际居住距离/养老质量/非家庭养老资源Key words
population aging/labor mobility/children's companionship/economic support/intergenerational residential distance/quality of elder care/non-family eldercare resources引用本文复制引用
康姣姣,吴方卫..老年父母的真实需求:金钱还是陪伴[J].当代经济科学,2025,47(3):115-129,15.基金项目
教育部人文社会科学研究青年基金项目"劳动力流动、代际居住分离与农村养老服务整合研究"(24YJCZH123) （24YJCZH123）
上海市哲学社会科学规划课题"上海新城的居家养老服务模式创新研究"(2022ZJB004) （2022ZJB004）
国家自然科学基金项目"'推—拉'力重构下中国农业转移劳动力空间再配置研究"(72373089). （72373089）
