The findings of China＊s first major study on the lives of the nation＊s 185 million elderly make for gloomy reading. The results of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study show 22.9% of Chinese over 60 live in poverty, 38.1% have difficulty completing daily activities on their own, and 40% show high symptoms of depression.
gloomy：黑暗的，沮丧的
But speaking at the launch in Beijing on Friday, the leaders of the study based on a nation-wide survey of 17,708 individuals, and completed with the help of top academics from around the world said it＊s not all bad news.
One important factor in the disabilities and depression suffered by many of China＊s elderly is trauma experienced in early life: Chinese people over 60 grew up with famine in the 1950s and the tumult of the Cultural Revolution, and that leaves a mark.
trauma：创伤
Today＊s working-age population enjoyed far less traumatic childhoods. They also have higher incomes than their parents did, thanks to greater participation in China＊s 30-year economic boom. Both factors mean their old age should be better than that of their parents, says John Strauss, a professor at the University of Southern California and one of the heads of the study.
China＊s poverty levels for the elderly look high relative to the U.S., where the Census Bureau reports that 8.7% of those over 65 live below the poverty line. But higher incomes for the elderly in the U.S. are still financed by large-scale public transfers from the working-age population. Mr. Strauss says that has costs too. It＊s possible to argue that from a social welfare point of view, the aged in the U.S. get far too much in the way of transfers from the young and middle-aged,§ he said.
A shrinking workforce and higher costs of care as China＊s population ages have raised fears about slowing growth. But there＊s still time to head off those problems, says Yaohui Zhao, a professor at Peking University who led the survey. Policies that support healthy aging would mitigate the impact on growth, for example by allowing people to work for longer, said Ms. Zhao.