The social pillar of sustainable development: Measurement and current status of social sustainability of aged care projects in China

Social sustainability, the social pillar of sustainable development, has had increasing influences in recent years. It pursues the realisation of human well‐being and focuses on satisfying human needs and improving the quality of life. Unfortunately, there is a lack of social sustainability research in the aged care sector. The definition and indicators for social sustainability in aged care projects in the Chinese context are unclear, let alone the status of its realisation. This study aimed to establish a social sustainability indicator framework for aged care projects in China. Two focus group meetings and two online Delphi surveys were conducted to finalise and evaluate the indicators. Three stakeholders, 10 social impacts, and 21 indicators were identified. The realisation status of 19 indicators needs to be improved, nine of which need special attention. The indicator framework established in this study will be an effective tool to enhance the understanding and measure the social sustainability of aged care projects. As the world's most populous country, China's experience can provide insights to other countries. Moreover, the findings have implications for understanding the social sustainability of other public service projects with social impact.