IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chieco/v54y2019icp94-112.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Language barriers and health status of elderly migrants: Micro-evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Lu, Shengfeng
  • Chen, Sixia
  • Wang, Peigang

Abstract

This paper empirically examines the effect of language barrier on elderly migrants' health status by exploiting individual-level data from the “China National Health Survey of Migrants 2015” database. We build an indicator of language barrier with geographical distribution information of Chinese dialect regions, and further separate the language effect from the migration effect by checking whether migrants move into a region with a different dialect. Results indicate a significant and negative impact of the language barrier on the health status of elderly migrants. Specifically, a language barrier results in poorer health conditions for younger elders. The mechanism test shows that a language barrier reduces migrants' abilities to build a social network, which is harmful to their health. Elderly migrants who are less-educated, live in host residence for a shorter time and move for business incentives suffer more from a language barrier. This study proves the power of a verbal language barrier to migrants' health.

Suggested Citation

  • Lu, Shengfeng & Chen, Sixia & Wang, Peigang, 2019. "Language barriers and health status of elderly migrants: Micro-evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 94-112.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:54:y:2019:i:c:p:94-112
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2018.10.011
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043951X18301482
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chieco.2018.10.011?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chunbei Wang & Le Wang, 2011. "Language Skills and the Earnings Distribution Among Child Immigrants," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(2), pages 297-322, April.
    2. Alberto Bisin & Eleonora Patacchini & Thierry Verdier & Yves Zenou, 2011. "Ethnic identity and labour market outcomes of immigrants in Europe [Assessing the oppositional culture explanation for racial/ethnic differences in school performance]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 26(65), pages 57-92.
    3. Esther Duflo, 2001. "Schooling and Labor Market Consequences of School Construction in Indonesia: Evidence from an Unusual Policy Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 795-813, September.
    4. Abraído-Lanza, Ana F. & Chao, Maria T. & Flórez, Karen R., 2005. "Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation?: Implications for the Latino mortality paradox," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1243-1255, September.
    5. Viola Angelini & Laura Casi & Luca Corazzini, 2015. "Life satisfaction of immigrants: does cultural assimilation matter?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 28(3), pages 817-844, July.
    6. Davide Cantoni & Yuyu Chen & David Y. Yang & Noam Yuchtman & Y. Jane Zhang, 2017. "Curriculum and Ideology," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 125(2), pages 338-392.
    7. Nancy Qian, 2008. "Missing Women and the Price of Tea in China: The Effect of Sex-Specific Earnings on Sex Imbalance," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 123(3), pages 1251-1285.
    8. Louis N. Christofides & Robert Swidinsky, 2010. "The Economic Returns to the Knowledge and Use of a Second Official Language: English in Quebec and French in the Rest-of-Canada," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 36(2), pages 137-158, June.
    9. Daniel Meierrieks & Laura Renner, 2017. "Stymied ambition: does a lack of economic freedom lead to migration?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(3), pages 977-1005, July.
    10. Grogger, Jeffrey & Hanson, Gordon H., 2011. "Income maximization and the selection and sorting of international migrants," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 42-57, May.
    11. Hunt, L.M.Linda M. & Schneider, Suzanne & Comer, Brendon, 2004. "Should "acculturation" be a variable in health research? A critical review of research on US Hispanics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(5), pages 973-986, September.
    12. Yu, S.M. & Huang, Z.J. & Schwalberg, R.H. & Nyman, R.M., 2006. "Parental english proficiency and children's health services access," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(8), pages 1449-1455.
    13. Dubard, C.A. & Gizlice, Z., 2008. "Language spoken and differences in health status, access to care, and receipt of preventive services among US hispanics," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(11), pages 2021-2028.
    14. Thompson, Owen, 2017. "The long-term health impacts of Medicaid and CHIP," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 26-40.
    15. Lebrun, Lydie A., 2012. "Effects of length of stay and language proficiency on health care experiences among Immigrants in Canada and the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(7), pages 1062-1072.
    16. Matthew Gentzkow, 2006. "Television and Voter Turnout," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 121(3), pages 931-972.
    17. M. Keith Chen, 2013. "The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from Savings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(2), pages 690-731, April.
    18. Li, Pei & Lu, Yi & Wang, Jin, 2016. "Does flattening government improve economic performance? Evidence from China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 18-37.
    19. Davide Cantoni & Yuyu Chen & David Y. Yang & Noam Yuchtman & Y. Jane Zhang, 2017. "Curriculum and Ideology," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 125(2), pages 338-392.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Zhongfei & Chen, Fanglin & Zhou, Mengling, 2021. "Does social trust affect corporate environmental performance in China?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Xiao He & Furong Zhang & Hongdan Zhao & Jie Li, 2022. "How Migration in Later Life Shapes Their Quality of Life: A Qualitative Investigation of the Well-Being of the “Drifting Elderly” in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 909-933, April.
    3. Fu, Minghui & Liu, Chuanjiang & Yang, Mian, 2020. "Effects of public health policies on the health status and medical service utilization of Chinese internal migrants," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    4. Zhang, Wenwu & Luo, Le & Gu, Lianglian, 2023. "An empirical study on urban integration of Chinese elderly individuals with migration in periods of economic transformation: Internal mechanism and economic effects," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 170-181.
    5. Ye Zhu & Weiyu Cao & Xin Li & Ran Liu, 2022. "The Role of Housing Tenure Opportunities in the Social Integration of the Aging Pre-1970 Migrants in Beijing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Jeromey Temple & Tom Wilson & Bianca Brijnath & Ariane Utomo & Peter McDonald, 2022. "English Language Proficiency Among Older Migrants in Australia, 2016–2046," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 403-429, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chen, Wei-Lin & Lin, Ming-Jen & Yang, Tzu-Ting, 2023. "Curriculum and national identity: Evidence from the 1997 curriculum reform in Taiwan," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    2. Tan, Xiujie & Xiao, Ziwei & Liu, Yishuang & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad & Wang, Banban & Dong, Hanmin, 2022. "The effect of green credit policy on energy efficiency: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    3. Yang, Jinghao & Chen, Siyu, 2023. "Corporate financialization, digitalization and green innovation: A panel investigation on Chinese listed firms," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 2(3).
    4. Ran Gu & Zenghua He, 2023. "Can Environmental Regulation Improve Labor Allocation Efficiency? Evidence from China’s New Environmental Protection Law," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-15, March.
    5. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/3jngk2o32k9hgasm59p1d3tmli is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Huichao Du & Yun Xiao & Liqiu Zhao, 2021. "Education and gender role attitudes," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 475-513, April.
    7. Zhiling Wang & Thomas de Graaff & Peter Nijkamp, 2018. "Barriers of Culture, Networks, and Language in International Migration: A Review," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 5, pages 73-89.
    8. Zhang, Yiren & Ran, Congjing, 2023. "Effect of digital economy on air pollution in China? New evidence from the “National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Area” policy," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 986-1004.
    9. Xu, Lan & Yang, Jun & Cheng, Jixin & Dong, Hanghang, 2022. "How has China's low-carbon city pilot policy influenced its CO2 abatement costs? Analysis from the perspective of the shadow price," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    10. Anke Becker & Benjamin Enke & Armin Falk, 2020. "Ancient Origins of the Global Variation in Economic Preferences," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 110, pages 319-323, May.
    11. Zhongwu Li, 2023. "Family Decision Making Power and Women’s Marital Satisfaction," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 568-583, September.
    12. Lai, Shaojie & Yang, Laifeng & Wang, Qing & Anderson, Hamish D., 2023. "Judicial independence and corporate innovation: Evidence from the establishment of circuit courts," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    13. Guillaume Blanc & Masahiro Kubo, 2023. "French," Economics Discussion Paper Series 2308, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    14. Samuel Bazzi & Masyhur Hilmy & Benjamin Marx, 2020. "Islam and the State: Religious Education in the Age of Mass Schooling∗," Boston University - Department of Economics - The Institute for Economic Development Working Papers Series dp-349, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    15. Chen, Yingtong & Zhang, Dayong & Ji, Qiang, 2022. "Impacts of regional cooperation agreements on international tourism: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 663-676.
    16. Ren, Xiaohang & Zeng, Gudian & Dong, Kangyin & Wang, Kun, 2023. "How does high-speed rail affect tourism development? The case of the Sichuan-Chongqing Economic Circle," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    17. Marx, Benjamin & Bazzi, Samuel & Hilmy, Masyhur, 2020. "Religion, Education, and the State," CEPR Discussion Papers 14689, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    18. Samuel Bazzi & Masyhur Hilmy & Benjamin Marx, 2020. "Religion, Education, and Development," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03873758, HAL.
    19. Prusa, Thomas J. & Teh, Robert & Zhu, Min, 2022. "PTAs and the incidence of antidumping disputes," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    20. Samuel Bazzi & Masyhur Hilmy & Benjamin Marx, 2020. "Islam and the State: Religious Education in the Age of Mass Schooling," Sciences Po publications 27073, Sciences Po.
    21. Ji, Xi & Wu, Guowei & Su, Pinyi & Luo, Xuanyuan & Long, Xianling, 2022. "Does legislation improvement alleviate the decoupling between welfare and wealth in China?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Language barrier; Health status; Dialect region; Difference-in-differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:54:y:2019:i:c:p:94-112. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/chieco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.