Loneliness, children's support, and demand for socialized elderly services: Empirical findings from China

The pace of aging is accelerating, and concurrently, an increasing number of elderly individuals are grappling with loneliness. Using KHB method and secondary moderating effect test, authors apply the concept of multi-dimensional loneliness in an exploratory study of eldercare service purchase behavior among elderly people based on national sample in China. Results show that, firstly, loneliness serves as a significant motivator driving the consumption behavior of elderly care services. Secondly, the varying degrees of loneliness differentially impact the consumption behavior of elderly individuals receiving eldercare services. Mild loneliness manifests as a facilitative effect, whereas severe loneliness manifests as an inhibitory effect. Thirdly, emotional loneliness promotes the consumption behavior of lonely elderly individuals towards eldercare services, whereas social loneliness is unrelated to the consumption of eldercare services among lonely elderly individuals. Lastly, emotional support from adult children incentivizes lonely elderly individuals to invest in care-related eldercare services, displacing their expenditure on mental well-being-focused eldercare services. The findings of this paper confirm the multidimensional nature of loneliness within the context of elderly care services, laying the groundwork for future research on the significance of elderly care services in enhancing the psychological well-being of the elderly population.