Factors Influencing People’s Willingness To Participate In Mutual-aid Elderly Care

From 1990 to the present,China’s aging process has accelerated and has entered an elderly-oriented society.In China,the elderly population aged 65 and above was 62.99 million in 1990.It increased to 88.11 million in 2000,a rise of 1.39%of the total population,and is expected to exceed 20%by 2040.At the same time,advanced aging is also a feature of China’s aging population,with an annual growth rate of 5%,and the number of senior citizens aged 80 and above will increase to more than 74 million by 2040.This situation makes China’s elderly service system face a serious situation,the contradiction between the accelerating situation of population aging and the current lack of elderly resources in China is becoming more and more prominent.It is urgent to explore a better elderly service system and a new elderly model.Mutual-aid elderly care is a new senior care model that complements the community care model,giving full play to the resources of the elderly and meeting their emotional needs,as well as having low operating costs.At present,the sustainable development of mutual-aid elderly care requires a full range of encouraging policies from the national and local governments.This study uses data from the P-county survey in Shaanxi Province as an example to analyze the factors affecting participation based on the research framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB),using data from 406 samples that were validly obtained.By constructing a structural equation model,we empirically analyzed the effects of mutual-aid elderly care incentive policies on people’s behavioral attitudes,subjective norms,and perceived behavioral control in participating in mutual-aid elderly care activities,and the effects on people’s willingness to participate,in order to provide a relevant basis for promoting people’s participation in mutual care activities and making mutual-aid elderly care activities sustainable.The findings of the study showed that,firstly,the mutual-aid elderly care incentive policy positively and significantly influenced people’s participation attitude,subjective norms and perceived behavior control.Second,people’s attitudes,subjective norms,and perceived behavioral control of mutual-aid elderly care had a positive significant effect on people’s willingness to participate.Third,there is no significant difference in people’s perceptions of the constructs related to mutual-aid elderly care.Therefore,based on the conclusion of the study,this study presents practical suggestions to improve the willingness of people in P County to participate in mutual-aid elderly care activities and to make the service model sustainable.It is suggested that the relevant government departments should give a supporting policy system so that the direction of mutual care development can be guided and its specific operation can be guided as well as managed.Second,the system of protection should improve the people’s own participation skills while reducing other predictable participation risks.Third,to cultivate the awareness of mutual-aid elderly care;using as many channels as possible to organize activities and actively cultivate the spirit of mutual-aid elderly care activities,to establish the awareness of mutual-aid elderly care among the people.Fourth,improve the quality of mutual aid services;integrate the resources of mutual-aid elderly care,continuously improve the comprehensive service capacity of mutual aid points,and strengthen the service capacity required for mutual aid activities,except for recreational programs such as medical and rehabilitation services.Finally,in terms of future research,it is recommended to explore various models of mutual care services,such as regional "time banks",companionship between the elderly and the young,and companionship living.