HOME ALONE: DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA AND THE U.S. SHARON M. LEE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY POPULATION RESEARCH GROUP UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA BACKGROUND IMPORTANT TO STUDY LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF ELDERLY RESIDENTIAL OPTIONS FOR OLDER PEOPLE INDEPENDENT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS LIVING ALONE (IF NOT PARTNERED/MARRIED)
LIVING WITH PARTNER ONLY (IF PARTNERED) RISE IN INDEPENDENT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AMONG ELDERLY IN MANY COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA MORE BACKGROUND GOING SOLO MORE PEOPLE ARE LIVING ALONE SINGLETONS (KLINENBERG, 2012) AGING ALONE BUT WHAT ABOUT OLDER IMMIGRANTS?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE OLDER IMMIGRANTS LESS LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE, COMPARED TO NATIVE-BORN ELDERLY? WHAT ARE THE DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA AND THE U.S.? RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS NEGLECT OF OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN PUBLIC FORUMS AND RESEARCH ON AGING HIGHLIGHT LIVING ALONE AS A FORM
OF LIVING ARRANGEMENT AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS COMPARISON OF CANADA AND THE U.S. WHY COMPARE CANADA AND THE U.S.? VALUE OF COMPARATIVE RESEARCH THREE SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS: IMMIGRATION POPULATION AGING INCREASED ETHNIC AND RACIAL DIVERSITY DATA
2006 CENSUS OF CANADA PUMF 2006 AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY (ACS) PUMS NON-MARRIED ADULTS, AGED 55 AND OLDER SAMPLE SIZES: NON-MARRIED, 55 AND OLDER Canada Unweighte d Sample Size Weighted Sample Size
U.S. Canadian -born Foreign -born U.S.-born Foreignborn 50,054 17,894 273,185 27,573 1,851,99 8 662,078 24,721,32 3,100,07
9 3 VARIABLES BINARY OUTCOME VARIABLE: LIVING ALONE EXPLANATORY VARIABLES DEMOGRAPHIC ECONOMIC ACCULTURATION OTHER CONTROLS METHODS OF ANALYSIS
DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSES TWO SEPARATE LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, ALL NONMARRIED ELDERLY, CANADA AND U.S. FOUR LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, ALL NON-MARRIED ELDERLY CANADA/FEMALES CANADA/MALES U.S./FEMALES U.S./MALES FOUR LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, NON-MARRIED OLDER IMMIGRANTS, FOR ABOVE FOUR GROUPS LIMITATIONS
CHALLENGES OF COMPARATIVE RESEARCH CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY CONCEPTUAL ISSUE MEASUREMENT ISSUE CENSUS AND ACS DATA LIMITATIONS DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS Descriptive Statistics of Samples Canada
U.S. Canadia n-born Foreig n-born U.S.born Foreignborn 70 71.2 70.7 70.1 % Divorced or Separated 33.9
30.1 36.6 34.5 % Widowed 47.8 56.3 49.1 50.5 Mean Years of Education 11.5 12.1
12.3 10.3 Mean Income 31,738 30,143 27,594 20,755 % Own Home 59.6 66.7 71.3 61.7
Mean Age Descriptive Statistics of Samples Canada U.S. Canadia n-born Foreig n-born U.S.born Foreignborn % Metropolitan Residence 58.5 86.4
73.1 93.8 % Single European origin 56.6 47.7 43.4 27.9 0.4 18.7 0.5 18.5
-- 1.0 3.4 32.1 % Single Asian origin % Single Latino origin Immigrant-specific Characteristics: Duration of Residence and Language Proficiency Canada U.S. 37.7 34.8
5.5 10.7 % with highest language proficiency 37.6 25.2 % with lowest language proficiency 14.6 18.9 Mean years of residence % with less than
10 years of residence Percent Living Alone, Non-married, 55 and Older Canada Native-born: 70.7 Immigrants: 54.8 Difference: 15.9 U.S. Native-born: 73.2 Immigrants: 51.7 Difference: 21.5 Native-born females: 70.7 Female immigrants: 52.4 Difference: 18.3 Native-born females: 70.6
Female immigrants: 47.3 Difference: 23.3 Native-born males: 70.6 Male immigrants: 61.0 Difference: 9.6 Native-born males: 78.8 Male immigrants: 64.1 Difference: 14.7 LOGISTIC REGRESSION RESULTS, ALL ELDERLY Descriptive and Adjusted Percents, Living Alone by Nativity 80 80 70 70
60 60 50 Nativeborn Foreignborn 40 30 50 40 30 20 20 10 10
0 0 Canada U.S. Nativeborn Foreignborn Canada U.S. Descriptive and Adjusted Percents Living Alone, Females and Males, Canada 80 80 70 70
60 60 50 Nativeborn Foreignborn 40 30 50 40 30 20 20 10 10
0 0 Females Males Nativeborn Foreignborn Females Males Descriptive and Adjusted Percents Living Alone, Females and Males, U.S. 90 90 80 80 70
70 60 60 Nativeborn Foreignborn 50 40 30 50 40 30 20 20 10 10
0 0 Females Males Nativeborn Foreignborn Females Males LOGISTIC REGRESSION RESULTS, OLDER IMMIGRANTS EFFECTS OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Predicted Proportion Living Alone by Age 1 Proportion Living Alone 0.9
0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 55 60 65 70 Age 75 Canada Females Canada Males United States Females
United States Males 80 85 Predicted Percent Living Alone by Marital Status, Females and Males, Canada Females 75 70 65 60 55 50 Males 75 70 65 60 55 50
Predicted Percent Living Alone by Marital Status, Females and Males, U.S. Females 60 Males 75 55 70 50 65 45 60 40 30
50 Se pa r D iv or at Ne ed ve rm ar ri ed W id ow ed
55 ce d 35 EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS Predicted Percent Living Alone by Education, Females and Males, Canada Females 75 70 65 60 55 50 Males 80 75
70 65 60 55 50 Predicted Percent Living Alone by Education, Females and Males, U.S. Females 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 Males 80 75 70 65 60 55
50 Predicted Proportion Living Alone by Income 1 P roportion Living A lone 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0 10 20
30 40 50 60 Income (in $1,000s) Canada Females Canada Males United States Females United States Males 70 80 90 100 Predicted Percent Living Alone by Homeownership, Females and Males,
Canada Males Females 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 Don't Own Home Own Home 80 75 70 65 60 55
50 45 40 35 30 Don't Own Home Own Home Predicted Percent Living Alone by Homeownership, Females and Males, U.S. Males Females 70 60 65 55
60 50 55 50 45 45 40 40 35 30 Don't Own Home Own Home 35 30 Don't Own Home
Own Home EFFECTS OF ACCULTURATION CHARACTERISTICS Predicted Percent Living Alone by Language Proficiency, Females and Males, Canada Males Females 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 75 70 65 60
55 50 Predicted Percent Living Alone by Language Proficiency, Females and Males, U.S. Males Females 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 75 70 65 60 55 50
Predicted Proportion Living Alone by Duration of Residence 1 P roportion Living A lone 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0 5 10 15
20 25 Duration of Residence (in years) Canada Females Canada Males United States Females United States Males 30 35 40 DISCUSSION RESEARCH QUESTION 1 ARE OLDER IMMIGRANTS LESS LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE THAN NATIVE-BORN ELDERLY?
RESEARCH QUESTION 2 WHAT ARE THE DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS? FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THREE FINDINGS EFFECTS OF AGE EFFECTS OF MARITAL STATUS EFFECTS OF GENDER DIFFERENT EFFECTS OF AGE POSITIVE FOR CANADA
NEGATIVE FOR THE U.S. SHARPER FOR FEMALES, BOTH CANADA AND THE U.S. MARITAL STATUS EFFECTS WIDOWS/WIDOWERS ARE NOT THE MOST LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE MARITAL DISRUPTION DUE TO DIVORCE IS STRONGER DETERMINANT NEVER-MARRIED ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY THAN WIDOWS TO LIVE ALONE
GENDER EFFECTS MEN, NOT WOMEN, ARE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE SIMILAR IN CANADA AND THE U.S. CONCLUSION LIVING ALONE IS NOT UNCOMMON AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS LIVING ALONE IS ASSOCIATED WITH ADVANTAGEOUS CHARACTERISTICS
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS HOME ALONE: DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA AND THE U.S. SHARON M. LEE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA [email protected] Highest and Lowest Predicted Percents Living Alone, Ethnic Groups Canada Females Korean: 69.0 % Filipino: 32.7 %
Males Canadian: 81 % Latin American: 37.7 % U.S. Females French: 66.8 % Asian Indian: 33 % Males American: 87.5 % Filipino: 48.5 %
