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Are Veterans Happy? Long-term Military Service and the Life Satisfaction of Elderly Individuals in China

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  • Chunkai Zhao

    (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics)

  • Jianhao Guo

    (Army Logistics University of PLA)

Abstract

By using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey from 2002 to 2014, this paper investigates the impact of long-term military service on the life satisfaction of Chinese male elderly individuals for the first time. The results show that compared to nonfarmers, long-term military service significantly reduces the life satisfaction of elderly individuals, which is supported by a series of robustness tests. In addition, we provide evidence that health impairment and insufficient income are the main factors leading to the decline in life satisfaction of elderly veterans. Worse, we find that several social security methods have little effect on promoting the life satisfaction of elderly veterans. Our findings illustrate that the loss of human capital is the leading cause of the decline in the life satisfaction of elderly Chinese veterans. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the social security and social benefits of elderly veterans.

Suggested Citation

  • Chunkai Zhao & Jianhao Guo, 2022. "Are Veterans Happy? Long-term Military Service and the Life Satisfaction of Elderly Individuals in China," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 477-508, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:23:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10902-021-00410-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-021-00410-4
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