Residential mobility and aging population in Hong Kong

Abstract In the midst of the increasingly prominent phenomenon known as population aging, this paper investigates how various attributes, from residential to institutional, influence the housing satisfaction of the elderly people, and thus their likelihood of residential relocation. The results suggest that aged citizens either born locally or from the Chinese Mainland tend to be much more satisfied with their current residence than those with other origins. The same can also be said for elderly people who live within the Metro Area [The Metro Area includes Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing.] of Hong Kong. Meanwhile, various institutional arrangements seem to play critical roles in improving the housing satisfaction of aged people who are either living alone, sharing a home with others of similar age, or residing with children (or grandchildren). The last one in a sense helps re-establishes the filial piety that is almost lost in modern Hong Kong society. Nevertheless, a residential mobility propensity of the pre-elderly is still confined due to the age limit which determines the eligibility for those elderly friendly schemes. Policy implications are then discussed.