Survey of Aging and Intergenerational Relations in Baoding City [China], 1994 (ICPSR 3800)

Principal Investigator(s): Whyte, Martin K., University of Michigan. Department of Sociology; Shanhua, Yang, Beijing University. Department of Sociology; Zhenyu, Xiao, Beijing University. China Research Center on Aging

Summary: This data collection provides information on the intergenerational relation and exchanges between parents and adult children in three major urban districts of Baoding City, China, in 1994. Data are provided on demographic, social, and family characteristics. General areas of investigation include geographic distance and frequency of visits between parents and children, the family decision-making process, deference accorded to elders, use of corporal punishment on children, family's i... (more info)

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Whyte, Martin K., Yang Shanhua, and Xiao Zhenyu. Survey of Aging and Intergenerational Relations in Baoding City [China], 1994. ICPSR03800-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2003. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03800.v1

Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03800.v1

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This survey was funded by:

• Henry Luce Foundation

Summary:   This data collection provides information on the intergenerational relation and exchanges between parents and adult children in three major urban districts of Baoding City, China, in 1994. Data are provided on demographic, social, and family characteristics. General areas of investigation include geographic distance and frequency of visits between parents and children, the family decision-making process, deference accorded to elders, use of corporal punishment on children, family's involvement in the selection of a child's marital partner, history of mental illness, political arrest, and deaths in the family, differences in lifestyles and ideas between parents and children, parents' living arrangements with adult child's family and its benefits and disadvantages, social engagements such as attendance at political meetings, religious activities, volunteer work, and theater outings, work and retirement history, and opinions on gender equity and individualism. The Baoding Parent Data file (Part 1) provides information on the health status, physical fitness, and daily activities of respondents. Respondents' history of hospitalization, depression, and mental illness, as well as their smoking and drinking habits and coping mechanisms are included. Other variables describe respondents' relations with their family, including financial, emotional, and housing support, and physical care received from family and others. The Baoding Child Data file (Part 2) provides information on respondents' history of relations with their parents, frequency of visits to their parents and parents-in-law, their share in parents' care, financial assistance provided to and by parents, other assistance provided to them by their parents, such as child care and help with household chores, and their relationships with their parents-in-law and siblings. Also included are items on respondents' feelings about their own and their spouse's health conditions, elderly parents living with them, and nepotism in China. Additional items include respondents' opinions on issues such as the care of the elderly, family size, husband's role in the family, differential roles of female and male children, risk-taking, individualism, premarital sex, and the relative importance of career and care of parents, friends and family, public and private ownership, and mental and manual labor. Demographic items specify date and place of birth, age, gender, occupation, work history, marital status, number of children, number of times married, education, political party membership, leadership positions, income, family social status, religion, length of stay in Baoding, nationality, home ownership, and housing characteristics.

Subject Terms:   adult children, aging, caregivers, child care, corporal punishment, extended families, family conflict, family history, family life, family relations, gender roles, health status, household composition, intergenerational relations, living arrangements, marriage, older adults, premarital sex

Geographic Coverage:   China (Peoples Republic), Global

Time Period:  

• 1994

Unit of Observation:   individuals

Universe:   Parents aged 50 and over and children aged 18 and over on June 1, 1994, in three main urban districts of Baoding City, China.

Data Types:   survey data

Sample:   Two-stage probability sample of 1,002 registered residents aged 50 and over and 753 randomly selected adult children of elderly residents interviewed in 30 neighborhoods in Baoding City in 1994.

Data Source:

personal interviews

Response Rates:   parents: 86.4 percent, and children: 69 percent

Presence of Common Scales:   inap.

Original ICPSR Release:  2003-10-09

Version History:

• 2006-03-30 File CB3800.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.

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