Modelling locational choices of older adults in China, 2010–2015

Using the microdata samples of the 2015 1% national population sample survey, this study makes the first attempt to investigate the extent to which regional attributes and personal characteristics jointly affect older adults' choices among the 30 provinces of mainland China. Results from the binary logit model indicated that older adults' decisions of whether to move were affected by their demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, and health status, while provinces with a lower cost of living, poorer natural and man-made amenities, and a larger outflow of children had a higher propensity of older out-migration. Results from the conditional logit models indicated that the cost of living, medical services, public green areas, temperature difference, the location of grandchildren, and migration distance played a significant role in affecting older adults' choices of where to move. The effect of provincial factors on the decisions of where to move turned out to vary by individuals' age, socio-economic status, and urban-rural division of destination. This paper enriches our knowledge about older migration in China by delving into the heterogeneity in older people's locational choices and by investigating migration drivers related to family and amenities.