Comparison of ’The Image of Old Age’ among Youth in China and Japan

Abstract

Definition of old age shifts from place to place, and from one historical period to another. In the context of China and Japan sharing similar cultural conceptions of old age, people tend to choose different lifestyles in their later years. However, with economic development and the improvement of living standards, the gap in awareness of old age among younger generations in China and Japan seem narrow sharply. This study aims to clarify this changing tendency through surveys. Instead of investigating how younger generations think about their roles in caring for elderly family members, the survey is designed to ask about what young people really expect for themselves, and what kind of lives they want to lead in later years. In this way, it is more likely to figure out the true thoughts of their image of old age and help seeking the balance between Young and Old, which I believe, hold great significance for social welfare design both in China and Japan.