A girl chats with an elderly woman in a home for the aged in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province. [Xinhua]BEIJING (China Daily), December 18, 2007: The latest survey on the aging population released by the China National Committee on Aging (CNCA) found that 23 percent of the elderly in urban areas and 29.8 percent of those in rural areas shun other people - both figures are about 3 percentage points higher than in 2000.
The survey, conducted by the CNCA in June 2006, covered more than 22,000 people aged over 60 in 20 provinces and municipalities.
The survey gave no details of the backgrounds of those surveyed who refused to socialize, but found that about 18 percent of the urban elderly and 31 percent of their rural counterparts are frequently haunted by "loneliness".
More ominously, the survey found that about 2.6 percent of elderly people in urban areas and 4.9 percent in rural areas had thought about committing suicide.
Yan Qingchun, deputy director of the CNCA office said Monday: "The figures show that old people are in dire need of care and consultation for their psychological problems."
Society should help them participate in social activities and forge a harmonious relationship with different generations, he said.
Li Bengong, deputy director of the CNCA office, said inadequate social security is the main factor hindering the happiness of the aged population.
"Yet a large proportion of the elderly, especially those without children and living in the countryside, are still not covered by the social security system or medical insurance," Li said.
Just 4.8 percent of elderly people in rural areas get pensions, while less than half of them are covered by medical insurance, he said.
Zhang Kaidi, director of the China Research Center on Aging, said: "With China's aging population, the government should allocate more funds to build a comprehensive and efficient system of support for the elderly."
He said such social security and care for the elderly are "especially" important for those who do not have children.
By Wu Jiao
Copyright 1995-2007
