Income, health, and worries about the perceived risks of growing older among Chinese citizens based on China General Social Survey data for 2021

Abstract This study investigated the impact of two critical dimensions of quality of life—income level and health status—on the degree of worry about perceived risks of growing older among Chinese citizens. Using data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS) 2021, we assessed these worries and further examined variations by gender, age group, educational attainment, and region. The study employed multiple imputation, instrumental variable methods, model transformation, and additional control variables to address endogeneity and perform robustness checks. The findings revealed that 62.58% of Chinese people expressed worries about the perceived risks of growing older. Income level exerted a universal negative influence on such worries, with a more significant mitigating effect observed among males, younger individuals, those with higher educational attainment, and residents of economically underdeveloped areas. Similarly, health status negatively influenced these worries, with a pronounced mitigating effect among females, older individuals, those with lower educational attainment, and residents of economically underdeveloped areas. The analysis of moderating effects indicated that life satisfaction partially offset the mitigating effects of health on these worries. Accordingly, policy interventions should be precisely targeted: promoting “income support and health security” in western China; establishing a “screening-counseling-care” system for older women; and incorporating a “relative welfare index” in affluent regions to mitigate comparison effects and enhance perceived well-being.