Chinese Urban Adult Children To Support Intergenerational Class Differences

This paper uses the sub-dataset family survey of Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS2006) to explore social class's effect on social support adult children give to their parents in urban China. Three approaches are also examined in this paper: resource constraint approach, investment approach and value approach. Ordinal Logit Model is deployed to analyze data. It is found that the higher the adults'social class, the higher probability of economic support for parents; the old middle class members (including the self-employed and small employers) are less likely to give practical and emotional support than new middle class members (managers, professionals and technicians) and working class members for parents; father's higher social class position brings more emotional support from adult children. Resource constraint approach can explain partial effect of class's effect on economic support; investment approach is well supported in emotional support; value approach cannot be identified in each dimension of intergenerational support.