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Temperature and life satisfaction: Evidence from Chinese older adults

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Haoyang
  • Chen, Yifeng
  • Ma, Mingming

Abstract

We employ detailed monthly temperature data and a nationally representative survey of Chinese older adults to examine the effects of exposure to high temperature on older adults' life satisfaction. A large literature evaluates the objective damage of climate change, but less attention has been paid to subjective well-being of the older population. Given the widely documented distinction of experienced and decision utilities and the trend of global aging, we offer another angle for evaluating the damage of climate change. Our results consistently show that exposure to (extreme) high temperatures significantly lower the older adults' life satisfaction. We link the adaptability of older adults to their life-course experiences and find that early-life resources can be as important as adult-life resources for older adults to adapt to late-life high temperatures. We document both efficiency and equality implications of climate change on the older population.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Haoyang & Chen, Yifeng & Ma, Mingming, 2024. "Temperature and life satisfaction: Evidence from Chinese older adults," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:225:y:2024:i:c:s0921800924002398
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108342
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate change; Temperature; Life satisfaction; Older adults; Life-course;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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