International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article Intergenerational Factors Influencing Household Cohabitation in Urban China: Chengdu Meimei Wang 1, Yongchun Yang 1,*, Mengqin Liu 2 and Huailiang Yu 3 1 School of Resource and Environmental Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; [email protected] 2 College of Environment and Resource, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China; [email protected] 3 College of Water Conservancy and Architecture Engineering, Tarim University, Xinjiang 843300, China; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Family composition impacts individual consumption habits, which may potentially trans- form urban integral space structure. Due to the reform in the housing system at the end of the 1990s and increases in residents’ income, houses became more affordable, and intergenerational household cohabitation is no longer the primary pattern. Nonetheless, as families change, it still remains an important form of family composition. Intergenerational support is important in house- hold habitation. This study examines the temporal changes and the structure of intergenerational household cohabitation. Moreover, intergenerational factors in groups of all genders and ages are analyzed. We found that intergenerational household cohabitation in Chengdu comprises three structures: elders living with married children, elders living with unmarried children, and elders living with grandchildren. According to multiple logistic regression, we can see that inadequate housing, economy of costs, cases of emergency, fear of loneliness, care of grandchildren, and poor Citation: Wang, M.; Yang, Y.; Liu, M.; Yu, H. Intergenerational Factors health have marked effects on household cohabitation, and the positive or negative effects are distinct Influencing Household Cohabitation regarding different structures. To be more specific, the significance of financial support in family in Urban China: Chengdu. Int. J. composition decreases, and that of support in daily care increases with age. The influence of financial Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, support, daily care support, and emotional support peaks among those aged between 35–60, followed 4289. https://doi.org/10.3390/ by individuals under 35, and those aged over 60. Financial support is comparatively important for ijerph18084289 individuals under 35, and females attach more importance to emotional support in intergenerational household cohabitation. The findings provide a basis for subsequent studies of family composition. Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou Keywords: household habitation; elder; intergenerational factors; relations; Chengdu Received: 15 March 2021 Accepted: 15 April 2021 Published: 18 April 2021 1. Introduction Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in Household cohabitation is defined as a residential behavior pattern and if two genera- published maps and institutional affil- tions with blood ties live and reside together under the same roof, this is a continuation iations. of Chinese traditional family values, signifying filial piety. In this economic and cultural transition period, Chinese families are undergoing similar changes as Western families are. Nonetheless, since eastern countries are different from western countries in terms of economy, technology, policy, law and socio-cultural background, they have their pecu- liar features regarding family composition. Before the founding of New China in 1949, Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. extended families with several generations living together typically dominated Chinese Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article society, in which case parents raised their children, arranged their children’s’ marriage, distributed under the terms and acted as babysitters, and were supported by young couples [1]. Thus, Chinese traditional conditions of the Creative Commons families usually involved several generations in one household. Housing resources were Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// deficient in the planned economy in the 1950s, and urban residents were paid extremely creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ low wages in that period [2].Residents had no opportunity to choose a house due to the 4.0/). housing system, i.e., the working unit system [3]. Deng’s reforms and opening-up policy Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4289. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084289 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, x 2 of 16 tended families with several generations living together typically dominated Chinese so- ciety, in which case parents raised their children, arranged their children’s’ marriage, acted as babysitters, and were supported by young couples [1]. Thus, Chinese traditional families usually involved several generations in one household. Housing resources were deficient in the planned economy in the 1950s, and urban residents were paid extremely Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021,low18, 4289 wages in that period [2].Residents had no opportunity to choose a house due to2 ofthe 14 housing system, i.e., the working unit system [3]. Deng’s reforms and opening-up policy in 1978 promoted western culture in mainland China which brought changes to Chinese traditionalin 1978 promoted cultural western values, culturewhich were in mainland refactored China [4]. whichWith improvements brought changes in tothe Chinese house- holdtraditional economy, cultural small values, families which predominated were refactored in family [4]. With composition. improvements Nonetheless, in the household as fam- ilieseconomy, changed, small household families predominatedcohabitation became in family a sp composition.ecific form of Nonetheless,family pattern as in families partic- ularchanged, periods household in urban cohabitationChina. became a specific form of family pattern in particular periodsThe in family urban is China. the basic unit of social life involving blood and marital relationships [5], andThe its family composition is the basic demonstrates unit of social different life involving patterns. blood In China, andmarital elders traditionally relationships live [5], togetherand its composition with their children, demonstrates thus extended different families patterns. occur In China,where lineal elders relatives traditionally by blood live together with their children, thus extended families occur where lineal relatives by blood live together. Often with four generations under one roof, which is typical of Chinese tra- live together. Often with four generations under one roof, which is typical of Chinese ditional cohabitational culture. The head of household (usually parents or grandparents) traditional cohabitational culture. The head of household (usually parents or grandparents) chose a house located close to schools. However, young people usually chose to move out chose a house located close to schools. However, young people usually chose to move out and select an apartment near their workplace once they were financially capable of doing and select an apartment near their workplace once they were financially capable of doing so. When their parents get older and retire, these offspring choose to live near their par- so. When their parents get older and retire, these offspring choose to live near their parents’ ents’ home or live with their parents again [6]. Thus, family composition changes in syn- home or live with their parents again [6]. Thus, family composition changes in synchrony chrony with the family life cycle and individuals’ life stages. This means that research into with the family life cycle and individuals’ life stages. This means that research into family family composition based on intergenerational support is of great importance. Intergen- composition based on intergenerational support is of great importance. Intergenerational erational cohabitation is the embodiment of traditional Chinese culture, and also reflects cohabitation is the embodiment of traditional Chinese culture, and also reflects a different a different intergenerational familial relationship compared to that in the West [7]. West- intergenerational familial relationship compared to that in the West [7]. Western households ernare households generally composed are generally of parents composed and children;of parents however, and children; the traditional however, Chinesethe traditional family Chineseis composed family of is parents composed and childrenof parents and and grandchildren children and or grandchildren grandparents or [8 ],grandparents as shown in [8],Figure as shown1. in Figure 1. children husband and wife a.Western urban family grandparents and grandchild grandchildren (married)children husband and wife elderly parents grandparents and grandchild great-grandfather and great-grandchild b.Traditional Chinese family FigureFigure 1. IntergenerationalIntergenerational relationships relationships in in Chinese Chinese and Western families.families. In 1982, the International Conference on Aging in Vienna published the Vienna Dec- laration and Programme of Action, in which problems of aging were bifurcated into humanitarian issues [9]. The family structure an important aspect of society [10]. Family composition impacts individual consumption habits, which may potentially transform urban integral space structure. To date, research into intergenerational support [10,11] based on family ties has mainly focused on elder