Status and Determinants of Older Adults' Risk Perception of Old-age Support in Rural China: An Analysis Based on Anhui Survey

Using the data from the Longitudinal Study of Rural Elderly's Well-Being in Anhui Province, China, this study examines the level and structure of perception of old-age support risk among older adults in rural China, and examines the effects of traditional family support, social network support, and community environmental factors on risk perception as well as its sub-dimensions. The results indicate that the overall level of the perception of old-age support risk among rural older adults is relatively low and consists of two sub-dimensions: survival risk perception and emotional risk perception, and the level is higher in the former than in the latter. Among the traditional family support factors, the number of children and living in skipped generation households is associated with higher risk perception levels; the intergenerational financial, instrumental, and emotional support are associated with lower levels of risk perception. At the community level, the perception of old-age support risk is significantly increased in national-level poor villages or in the village nursing homes. In addition, community activity centers and health care facilities have no significant effect on the perception of old-age support risk and its sub-dimensions. Furthermore, there are differences between the factors influencing the perception of survival risk and emotional risk: the family network is linked to lower levels of survival risk, and the friend network is associated with emotional risk.