More than half of elderly Chinese prefer living with their children, and this number is higher in rural areas than urban ones, according to a recent survey report.
A total of 56.4 percent of elderly surveyed in 2015 expressed their willingness to live with their children, while 25.4 percent clearly held the opposite view, according to the Survey Report on the Living Conditions of China's Urban and Rural Older Persons (2018), published by Social Sciences Academic Press.
A total of 58.5 percent of rural elderly preferred living with their children, about 4.1 percentage points higher than their urban counterparts. The survey also showed that more female elderly preferred this situation, slightly higher than their male counterparts.
Living with and taking care of one's elderly parents has long been considered a traditional part of filial duties in China.
The survey said 81.4 percent of Chinese senior citizens expressed satisfaction with the filial piety shown by their children.
However, the rating seemed to drop with age as only 14.8 percent of elderly aged 80 and above giving a positive opinion in this regard.
A total of 222,700 Chinese aged 60 and above from across the country answered the survey, which has been conducted every five years since 2000 by the China National Committee on Aging.
