| At the end of 2022,China’s urbanization rate reached 65.2%.With the accelerated advancement of urbanization,a large number of labor forces have been swept up in the migration tide.In addition,a considerable number of rural elderly people have also joined the ranks of mobile populations due to factors such as following their children,medical services,and a higher quality of life,and have moved to more developed areas and cities.However,the elderly rural-to-urban mobile population,which has the characteristics of being elderly,rural,and having a household registration,inevitably becomes a vulnerable group in urban life,and even survival,due to differences in identity,household registration,welfare,and lifestyle.The report of the 20 th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out the need to promote a new type of urbanization centered on people and to accelerate the urbanization of agricultural transfer populations.The social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population is not only related to the development of mobile families,but also an important embodiment of the increasing need for a better life for the people.Therefore,it is necessary to focus on the social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population,understand their social integration real-life difficulties and formation mechanisms,and propose policy recommendations to solve social integration problems.Based on the framework of social integration theory,this study selected six-dimensional indicators-economic integration,social integration,institutional integration,settlement integration,residential integration,and family integration-to construct an indicator system for the social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population.Based on data from the dynamic monitoring survey of mobile populations from 2017 to 2018 and using principal component analysis to comprehensively measure the social integration index,this study summarizes the characteristics and main difficulties of social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population.Furthermore,the study combines quantitative analysis methods with qualitative interviews to explore the formation mechanism of social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population.The research conclusions aim to improve relevant research on the citizenization of mobile populations and provide important experiential support for high-quality population development,the implementation of active aging strategies,and the policy layout of the new type of urbanization centered on people.The main research findings are as follows:Firstly,from the perspective of the current status of social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population,its social integration trend has declined,and its social integration level is still at a low level.Due to the inability to enjoy various social resources such as social security,public services,and elderly welfare in the destination city,the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population is still a vulnerable group in the process of social integration.Among them,the social integration index of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population with rural household registration is significantly lower than the average of the total mobile population and is lower than that of the rural-to-urban elderly migration population and urban-to-urban elderly mobile population.The social integration index of women is lower than that of men.The overall social integration level of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population with lower household income levels is relatively low.The rural-to-urban elderly mobile population with higher public service supply in the destination city has a higher social integration level.When the destination city has higher inclusiveness,the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population also shows a higher level of social integration.Secondly,regarding the main difficulties of social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population,household registration identity and low income are still the main reasons for the social integration difficulties.The difficulties in social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population mainly stem from unequal social security benefits caused by differences in household registration status,and the survival difficulties of elderly mobile population with low income in the destination city and the difficulties in social adaptation under circumstances of inadequate urban inclusiveness.Finally,from the perspective of the formation mechanism of social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population,factors such as the balanced supply and demand of public services,intergenerational support,and social support are the main reasons for the social integration difficulties of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population.Individual characteristics such as gender,education level,family size,and health status have a significant positive impact on the social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population.In terms of mobility characteristics,integration and adaptation of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population is easier to achieve in intraprovincial mobile and long-term mobile situations.In terms of family characteristics,the higher the proportion of household members with local household registration in the destination city,the higher the level of social integration of the rural-to-urban elderly mobile population.Higher urban income levels,inclusiveness,and public medical supply of the destination city can enhance social integration.It should not be ignored that population mobility has optimized labor resource allocation and provided manpower and talent guarantees for China’s rapid economic growth.The massive mobile population has made tremendous contributions to economic and social development.Their family members,as well as elderly mobile populations who have lived in cities for a long time,also need the possibility of integration into cities and the right to enjoy equal public services and social welfare.The research conclusions indicate that,in the process of large-scale population flow,policies should be targeted towards different group characteristics and emphasis should be placed on the family development and social integration of mobile populations,gradually bridging the negative impact caused by differences in household registration,age,urban-rural,and income inequality,and promoting healthy development,social integration,and citizenization of mobile population through practical actions,and promoting the new type of urbanization centered on people,rather than single land urbanization or local permanent population urbanization.Based on these findings,the following policy recommendations are proposed:Firstly,optimize the household registration system and promote information sharing to ease the household registration obstacles in social integration.Secondly,promote the equalization of public services to promote citizenization through inclusive and universal social welfare.Thirdly,leverage the power of communities to improve the social support system and enable more rural-to-urban elderly mobile populations to integrate into communities.Fourthly,build a complete welfare policy system for mobile population families to provide services for the elderly in mobile families. |
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