谁来养老:养老福利态度的城乡差异

Who Will Care for the Elderly:Urban-rural Differences in Attitudes toward Old-age Welfare

使用中国综合社会调查2010年和2018年的数据,基于谁来负责老年人养老这一问题,分析了我国居民福利态度的城乡差异及其演变趋势。结果显示:第一,支持家庭而非政府承担养老责任是民众主流的福利态度。第二,养老保障供给主体偏好的转变存在着显著的时期效应,民众福利观念出现了从家庭责任向政府责任的转向。第三,民众的养老福利观念存在着显著的城乡差别。与农业户籍人口相比,非农业户籍人口更倾向于政府养老而非家庭养老。第四,城乡居民养老福利态度的演变并不同步,与非农村户籍人口相比,农业户籍人口由家庭负责养老向政府负责养老转变的速度更快。

The Seventh National Population Census data signify that China has entered the stage of advanced population aging,with a wave of“baby boomers”soon surging into their old age stage.This raises compelling inquiries about pension distribution.Previous studies have scrutinized policy guidelines,government functions,or fiscal components for this goal,disregarding subjective views on pensions.Despite some extant studies having concentrated on welfare perceptions,they predominantly contrast international perspectives or study historical trends,neglecting rural/urban distinctions and evolution.This paper utilizes amalgamated cross-sectional data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2010 and 2018 to comprehend differences and evolution of attitudes towards elderly care welfare between urban and rural areas employing logit models,and conducts rigorous robustness tests.The findings of this paper are as follows.Firstly,individuals are still inclined to depend on family rather than the state as the primary provider of pension services.Secondly,an appreciable shift in preferences towards the state for pension provision is observed,reflecting a transition from familial obligation towards state commitment.Thirdly,pension attitudes demonstrate significant rural and urban disparities,with non-farming residents favoring increased state involvement contrasted with their agricultural peers.Fourthly,evolving attitudes diverge between rural and urban regions,with farmers shifting towards formal retirement schemes more swiftly.Contrary to prior work,this paper examines both rural/urban disparities in elderly care welfare attitudes and their evolution amid modernization.This paper identifies a rising trend towards collective government responsibilities and markedly higher affinity amongst farmers for institutionalized retirement schemes.Comprehending public perceptions can anchor social security reform's authority.Consequently,policymakers must address populist wishes concerning pensions,take the helm in protecting society,actively tackle farmer expectations for enhanced pensions,and avoid welfare pitfalls when fulfilling welfare demands but circumvent reoccurring errors as welfare states.