Table of Content

29 May 2022, Volume 46 Issue 3

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Will Internet Use Affect Fertility Desire？

Qiu Leiju, Feng Yiqiang, Shi Yupeng, Sun Baowen

2022, 46(3):  3-15. 

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Using data from the China Family Panel Studies and the matched urban data and Baidu search index, this paper examines the effects of internet use on fertility desire as well as its underlying mechanisms. After controlling for other influencing factors and endogenous issues, the results show that residents who use the internet have about 10.5% lower fertility desire than nonusers, especially for internet users who live in economically developed cities, with low education and low income. It is further identified that negative information mechanism, utility substitution mechanism, and marital satisfaction mechanism are the ways through which internet use reduces fertility desire. In addition, internet use also influences the actual fertility behavior and weakens the effect of the universal twochild policy. Our study provides a new perspective for understanding the low fertility problem.

Why Does Internet Use Affect Fertility Intentions？

Chen Weimin, Wan Jiale, Li Chaowei

2022, 46(3):  16-29. 

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Based on CGSS2017 data, this paper examines the effects of surfing the internet on fertility intentions. The results show that surfing the internet will reduce individuals fertility intentions. The effects on the intended number of children are greater than that on whether to have children. There are two mechanisms for these effects. One is increasing anxiety about childbirth and thus changing the individuals attitudes towards giving birth. The other is raising personal consumption which squeezes the economic budget for childbearing and childrearing. The effects of internet use on fertility intentions vary across different purposes for getting online. Using the internet for study, work or social contact has no significant effects on individuals fertility intentions, while using the internet for shopping or entertainment significantly reduces fertility intentions. Other conventional media usage, such as newspapers, magazines, television, and mobile phone message has no significant influence. To prevent the negative impact of internet usage on fertility intentions, it is necessary to strengthen the supervision of network information, reasonably guide online consumption, and help individuals to establish a positive attitude towards fertility and consumption.

Fertility Transition of Chinese Ethnic Minorities：Trends and Determinants

Wang Donghui, Jin Yongai, Liu Tao

2022, 46(3):  30-43. 

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Fertility transition of ethnic minorities is an integral part of the demographic transition of China. Studying fertility transition among different ethnic groups offers a new perspective in understanding fertility transition in China. This study uses multiple waves of micro census to describe fertility transitions of different ethnic minority groups. Utilizing multilevel models, this study also identifies the between and within group determinants of ethnic minority fertility behaviors. Results show that similar to Han Chinese, ethnic minorities also experienced fertility decline over the past forty decades. Yet their rates of decline were modest. Most ethnic minority groups reached near replacementlevel fertility since 2000, and some saw modest increase in the recent decade. There exist heterogeneities within ethnic groups. Different ethnic groups exhibit different fertility patterns. The multilevel analysis results show that ethnicspecific traits had diminishing yet still significant impact on fertility behaviors. Within ethnic group differences account for a larger part of the total fertility variations.

New Rural Pension Scheme,Intergenerational Support, and Grandparenting:Evidence Based on the Regression Discontinuity Design

Yang Ruilong, Ren Yuzhuo, Wang Zhinan

2022, 46(3):  44-59. 

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This paper evaluates the impact of the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) policy on childrens intergenerational supports toward parents. Using data from CHARLS2015 and CHARLS2018, we adopt the regression discontinuity design to investigate this influence. The results show that the NRPS policy significantly increases the transfers from children to parents by about 1700 yuan per year. However, the amount of time that children accompany their parents dramatically decreases by about 10%. The results indicate that the NRPS policy positively "crowds in" childrens intergenerational financial support, while negatively "crowds out" the temporal support, suggesting an obvious substitution effect between these two types of supports. We further explore the mechanism of the impact and find that the NRPS policy leads to more time the older adults contribute to taking care of their grandchildren. To “exchange”, the children increase transfers to parents and then reduce the time of accompanying their parents. Conclusions further discuss the policy implications about how to improve the overall quality of social welfare services in China.

Contribution and Spatial Heterogeneity of Early Family Circumstances Factors on Health in Old Age

Du Benfeng , Cao Gui , Sheng Jian

2022, 46(3):  60-73. 

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It is important to understand the influence of early family circumstances on health in old age and to reduce or eliminate health differences in order to achieve healthy ageing. In this study, Shapley and Fairlied value composition methods are used to analyze the degree of contribution of various early family environmental factors to the health of older people. The heterogeneity of the early family circumstances is examined. Early family circumstances not only have the highest contribution to the health in old age, but are also important for different regions. The study suggests that the early family circumstances should be included in the Healthy China Strategy, and the early childhood development policies should be included in the countrys rural revitalization plan, so as to provide fair family circumstances and good starting point for all children, and promote the construction of healthy China and healthy ageing from the early life and family perspective.

Burden of Family Care for the Older Adults in Rural and Urban Areas in China in the Era of Rapid Ageing

Wu Haixia

2022, 46(3):  74-87. 

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Using data of 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey （CLHLS2018）, this paper designs indexes about the family burden of care for older adults and care intensity, and compares the differences of family care burden between rural and urban areas. For older adults whose ability of daily activities are limited, the family care burden in towns and villages is heavier than that in cities. The average number of family caretakers of the urban older adults is significantly fewer than that of the older adults in towns and villages. In daily life, the intensity of caring for the older adults in cities is higher than that in towns and villages. For older adults who are seriously ill and disabled, the care intensity in villages is higher than that of the older adults in cities and towns. Individuals health status has a significant impact on the burden of family care. To reduce the family and social care burden effectively, a health management system should be established based on the whole life cycle of the whole population while implementing the Healthy China Strategy.

The Impacts of Internet Use on Social Networks and Loneliness among Older Adults：A Study Based on the Purposes of Internet Use

Tang Dan, Zhang Kun, Qi Xinru

2022, 46(3):  88-101. 

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Based on the data of 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS2018), this study utilizes the propensity score matching, linear regression models, and bootstrap mediating effect tests to explore whether the Internet use and the specific purposes of Internet use (interpersonal communication or information seeking) would affect the social networks and loneliness of older adults. This study focuses on the role of social networks in linking Internet use and loneliness among older adults. Results show that using internet can expand older adults family and friendship ties and decrease their feelings of loneliness. Family ties act as partial mediators in associating Internet use and loneliness. Interpersonal communication achieved by Internet use can increase the social networks, and family ties also play a mediating role in associating interpersonal communication through Internet with loneliness. Although information seeking can decrease the loneliness of older adults directly, it damages the social networks and further increases the loneliness. Family ties act as a suppressor in the association between information seeking and loneliness. Therefore, older adults should be encouraged to use the Internet reasonably, and actively integrate into the digital society, so as to decrease the loneliness.

Identifying the Mystery of Chinas Declining Labor Participation Rate among Workingage Population: Informal Care or “Being NEETs”?

Liu Dayu, Zhao Hengyuan, Xu Bin

2022, 46(3):  102-116. 

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This paper conducts an empirical analysis using the data of CFPS2016 to test the causes for the decline of employment rate. The results show that “Being NEETs” prevents workingage population from participating in work, while informal care promotes labor participation. According to marginal probability calculation, “Being NEETs” has a stronger negative impact. The negative impact imposed by the NEETs, which indicates a race to the bottom trend, is more serious in rural areas, suggesting that “Being NEETs” is no longer a privilege among rich families. People who are unmarried and without home loan are more vulnerable to losing their employment willingness. On the one hand, our results suggest that there is indeed a lack of social responsibility among the current workingage population. On the other hand, the phenomenon of forcedly “Being NEETs” among lowemployment ability population is rapidly expanding. Therefore, paying more attention to those peoples education and career development is the core task of breaking through the current dilemma of low employment rate.

The Changing Mechanism of the Sex Difference in Life Expectancy in China

Chen Hao, Chen Daiyun

2022, 46(3):  117-128. 

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Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, its population reproduction has transformed from a traditional to a modern one. During this process, the life expectancy of the population has continued to increase, and the sex difference in life expectancy has also been changing. In 1953, the life expectancy of Chinese men and women was 44.54 and 44.58 years, respectively, and the difference was only 0.04 years. By 2010, the life expectancy of men and women reached 72.38 and 77.37 years, respectively, and the difference was 4.99 years. The sex gap in the proportion of people aged 100 and over in the whole population has also widened. The change of the sex gap in life expectancy reflects the law of population development. Chinas legal development and policies have supported gender equality, which promotes the formation of genderless consciousness in social roles and thus benefits women. Ultimately, womens lifespans have extended.