Education and Successful Aging Among Chinese Elderly: Insights from CLASS Data

Objective: This study uses data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) to analyze the status of successful aging among Chinese elderly individuals and the impact of education on successful aging. It explores the characteristics of China's aging process and the effects of education, providing a basis for formulating appropriate aging policies. Methods: The study included 9,181 participants, with 5,730 (62.41%) elderly individuals with low education, 2,356 (25.66%) with medium education, and 1,095 (11.93%) with high education. Descriptive statistical analysis was first conducted to compare the demographic characteristics of elderly individuals with different education levels. The study then described the levels of successful aging and the status of the five measurement dimensions for each group, using χ² tests for differences. Subsequently, multi-factor logistic regression was employed to analyze the effects of education, controlling for demographic variables, health status and behavioral variables, and family, community, and policy variables. Finally, based on the previous analysis, heterogeneity analysis was performed to examine the impact of education on successful aging across different regions, genders, ages, and income levels. Results: The overall level of successful aging among the elderly was 15.15% (1,391/9,181). The successful aging levels for elderly individuals with low, medium, and high education were 11.06%, 20.20%, and 25.66%, respectively (P < 0.01). Elderly individuals with higher education levels performed better than those with lower education in terms of chronic diseases, functional loss, cognitive function, depression symptoms, and social activity participation (P < 0.01). Multi-factor logistic regression results showed that, after controlling for demographic variables, elderly individuals with medium and high education had successful aging levels 1.581 times (OR=1.581, 95% CI=1.299-1.924) and 2.086 times (OR=2.086, 95% CI=1.677-2.595) higher, respectively, than those with low education. After further controlling for health status and behavioral variables, elderly individuals with medium and high education had successful aging levels 1.480 times (OR=1.480, 95% CI=1.210-1.811) and 1.818 times (OR=1.818, 95% CI=1.450-2.281) higher, respectively. After controlling for family, community, and policy variables, elderly individuals with medium and high education had successful aging levels 1.462 times (OR=1.462, 95% CI=1.192-1.794) and 1.767 times (OR=1.767, 95% CI=1.401-2.229) higher, respectively. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that education had a positive and significant impact on successful aging in most elderly groups, with stronger effects for rural residents, females, younger elderly individuals, and those with low income (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study shows that the level of successful aging among Chinese elderly is relatively low, and there are significant differences in successful aging levels across elderly groups with different education levels. Overall, education has a positive impact on successful aging among Chinese elderly individuals. Education is a critical factor in improving successful aging, especially for rural, female, younger, and low-income elderly individuals. By incorporating the Chinese experience, this research seeks to enrich the cross-cultural applicability of existing successful aging theories, provide empirical evidence to inform aging policies in developing countries