Population Research

The Difference of Urban and Rural Ageing and Its Transition

Du Peng,Wang Wulin

2010, 34(2): 3-10.

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In the process of population ageing in China,rural population has an increasingly higher proportion of elderly than the cities,it has been widely cited as one of the characteristics of population ageing in China.This paper compared China with other countries and reveals that the phenomenon of higher elderly proportion in rural population than the urban is universal in the world.The research finding shows that the urban-rural inversion of population ageing will not last for a long time.With the socioeconomic development,large-scale rural-urban migration and urbanization will approach to the end;the proportion of the urban elderly will eventually exceed that in the rural.During this process,the transition of urban-rural difference of population ageing will experience four phases.In the first phase,the rural population ageing is higher than the urban;the difference between urban-rural population ageing will be enlarged increasingly.The second phase is that the rural population ageing is higher than urban,but the gap will be narrowed.The third phase is that the urban population ageing will exceed the rural area,the proportion of the urban elderly will be higher than the rural.At the last phase,the difference will be narrowed and diminished in the end.The transition model of the urban-rural difference of population ageing implies that the challenges of urban population ageing will exceed rural aging in the near future.Nevertheless,China should give more priority to issues of rural ageing in the first half of this century.

Social Integration for Migrants:Process,Measurement and Determinants

Ren Yuan, Qiao Nan

2010, 34(2): 11-20.

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Social Integration for migrants is a combined process of increasing assimilation and reducing exclusion,and a process of coordinating expectation of migrants and acceptance of urban sector,and a process of developing counter relations and building social network among migrants and local people.The paper measures social integration degree of temporary migration in four dimensions,including identity recognition,expectation to city life,interaction with local residents and feeling of social attitudes from local citizens.Results show that various variables have different impact on different aspects of social integration.Based on a regression model,the paper tests three hypothesis on the factors associated with social integration of migrants:migrant individual and family characteristics are significantly associated with social integration;community participation and social capital significantly associated with social integration;and institutional arrangements significantly associated with social integration.In improving social integration of migrants,the paper argues for comprehensive policies addressing the variety and complexity of the process of social integration,including those towards natural integration and interventionary integration,active integration and interactive integration,and promoting a gradual and multidimensional integration process.

A Further Discussion on Suburbanization of Beijing Municipality

Wang Fang

2010, 34(2): 21-30.

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By examining population growth after 1958 in each region of Beijing and population by current residence and usual residence 5 years ago in each region of Beijing at the Fourth and Fifth National Population Census,this article explores the question if the City of Beijing has stepped into the stage of suburbanization,arguing that it is inappropriate to view Urban Function Extended Region totally as the suburbs or the city proper.It is necessary to differentiate the population pertaining to township,town and urban subdistrict in order to look at separately the suburbs and the city proper within the Urban Function Extended Region.As the population growth rate of Core Region of Capital Function has declined,the population growth rates of both Urban Function Extended Region including the near suburbs and New Region of Urban Development located in the outer suburbs have increased since the 1980s,and the population growth rate of New Region of Urban Development has surpassed that of Urban Function Extended Region in recent years,the article claims that the urbanization process of Beijing has entered into the suburbanization stage.

Being Migrant or Being Left behind:Determinants of Migration of Children of the Peasant Workers

Liang Hong, Ren Yan

2010, 34(2): 57-65.

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Various problems related to migrant or left-behind children are largely associated with family patterns and children’s living arrangement.Using data from a 2006 survey of migrant workers in Pearl River Delta,this paper explores determinants of migration probability of children of migrant workers.Results show that being migrant or being left-behind is significantly associated with children’s age,rural social support,migration distance and living status of their parents in the cities.The decision of being migrant or being left-behind is a rationale choice of children’s parents,which is also determined by institutions at the national and local level.Consistent with the "pull-push" theory of migration,migration of children of migrant workers is an outcome of the combination of the pulling factors at rural areas and the pushing factors at the urban areas,while also being a trade-off decision of their parents.

Development of the Psychological Status of Migrant Children:An Analysis Based on "Panel Survey on the Development of Migrant Children"

Zhou Hao

2010, 34(2): 66-75.

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This paper examines the psychological status and its development trajectory of migrant children based on three-wave survey data of "Panel Study on the Development of Migrant Children"(PSDMC).Despite the fact that psychological status has been improving for all three groups of children,when measured by loneliness and depression,psychological status of migrant children is worse than that of resident children.The development trajectory of migrant children who study in public schools is the same as that of the resident children,while it is vastly different from that of migrant children who study in migrant schools.And as one aspect of psychological status stemming from social inequality,depression of migrant children studying in migrant schools has not been improved in the three waves of PSDMC.

Changing Family Structure and Identification of Family Types in Rural Areas:A Case Study in East Hebei

Wang Yuesheng

2010, 34(2): 76-87.

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Under the private land ownership before the land reform,nuclear family,while it was the biggest family type,wasn’t the overwhelming majority.Although taking the second place,lineal family type accommodates the greatest percentage of population.Composite family ranked the third,and about a quarter of village population lived in this family type.Impact of the collective economic system on family structure was that the family head was deprived of their control power over land and other basic production means,thus they lost their ability to restrain son’s demand for family division.Composite Family gradually decreased and finally disappeared.Nuclealization of family was achieved in the late 60s and early 70s of the 20th century.Labors of the investigated village began to engage in non-farming activities,but most of them didn’t leave families,and transition to non-agricultural employment of villagers has not had a major impact on family structure.At present,arrangement of meal and residence rotation of the elderly parents with two or more sons is universal in the village.Parents who are in meal and residence rotation periodically attach themselves to a married son’s family and form a intermittent lineal family,and at the same time rotary lineal families are formed.This type of families is specifically designated,reflecting special features of lineal family.

Mortality and the Change of Solar Term in Shanghai:2002-2007

Zhao Jiaying, Song Guixiang, Han Ming, Fang Bo

2010, 34(2): 88-95.

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Using mortality data from Shanghai death registration system,this paper examines death distribution in solar terms by population groups and by causes of death according to the daily death counts by different populations in different solar terms.The circular distribution statistics and the excess mortality ratio(EMR)are employed to analyze how death occurrences from different causes or different population groups are distributed in different solar terms.The mean angle of the population exists in 347.61°(Great Cold),while that of the four different age groups(0-4,5-44,45-64,and above 65 years)were 207.13°(Stopping the Heat),343.34°(Slight Cold),321.31°(Winter Solstice),and 349.25°(Great cold)respectively.Moreover,the mean angles of the circulatory diseases,respiratory diseases and diabetes were between 344.04°(Slight Cold)and 359.44°(Great Cold).Furthermore,EMR increases significantly after the Winter Solstice Term,reaching the peak in Slight Cold and Great Cold.The transition of EMR among the two genders has similar trends,while that among different age groups has different patterns.Thus,solar terms,reflecting climate variation rather accurately in a year,may predict temporal mortality risk of some diseases,which is of significance in protecting the susceptible population groups.

HIV/AIDS Risk Analysis among Migrant Workers at a Highway Construction Site in Western Yunnan

Gao Yifei

2010, 34(2): 96-106.

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This research adapts comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate HIV/AIDS related risks among male migrant workers at a highway construction site in western Yunnan.It is found that their major HIV/AIDS risk is related to high-risk commercial sex.Because of various reasons,a highly tolerant atmosphere towards commercial sex has been formed among migrant workers.They tend to under estimate the HIV/AIDS risks they are facing.Different occupational groups’ risk behaviors have been shaped by their differential knowledge level and social-economic contexts.Based on those findings,the authors discuss and advance recommendations for current HIV/AIDS prevention interventions among migrant workers,social perspective in HIV/AIDS prevention research,and directions for future research.

Low Fertility Trap:Truth or Myth?

Shi Renbing

2010, 34(2): 107-112.

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Total fertility rate in most European countries has experienced a shape decline since 1980s,with many having very low fertility rate.Hypotheses have been offered to explain why fertility keep declining when they are already very low in many countries.The low fertility trap which has been advanced by Lutz and his collaborators is one of the most popular theories.According to Lutz and his co-workers’ opinion,once the TFRs have declined to level below 1.5,it is by no means easy to rise up to that level because of the self-reinforcing mechanisms of the very low fertility rate.In this paper,the author introduces the low fertility trap hypothesis and the self-reinforcing mechanisms,the core concept of Lutz’s theory.After analyzing the three parts of the low fertility self-reinforcing mechanism(population dynamics,sociological reasoning and economic rationale)and combining the fact that fertility have raised in some very low fertility countries in recent years,the author argue that it is too early to say that low fertility trap is true.

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