The impact of social quality on the subjective well-being of older adults across cohorts in China: A methodological approach combining ordered logistic regression and random forest

Abstract

This study, based on data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (N = 9894), employed ordered logistic regression and random forest models to examine the impact of social quality on the subjective well-being of older adults in China and its generational differences. The findings revealed that social cohesion, social inclusion and social empowerment had significant and positive effects on the subjective well-being of older adults. In contrast, the quantity of social security benefits within the dimension of socioeconomic security negatively influenced well-being, possibly due to conflicts among different types of social security, leading to a mismatch between older adults' expectations and actual benefits. The study further identified that living environment, self-efficacy, external and internal integration perceptions, and interpersonal trust are critical social quality factors influencing the subjective well-being of older adults across all cohorts. Additionally, the impact of socioeconomic security was found to be weaker for earlier cohorts (1920s/1930s). This study expands the application of social quality theory, highlighting the central role of non-economic factors in shaping the well-being of older adults. It also provides important insights for optimizing social security policies and improving the quality of life for older adults.