Does intergenerational income upward mobility increase the subjective well-being of middle-aged and older people in China?—Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS)

Abstract

Intergenerational income mobility is widely regarded as a key indicator of social vitality and opportunity, yet its consequences may extend beyond the mobile individuals themselves. Using 3956 parent–child pairs from the China Family Panel Studies, this study examines whether adult children’s intergenerational income upward mobility (IIUM) is associated with the subjective well-being (SWB) of middle-aged and older parents, and through which forms of intergenerational support such associations operate. Using a structural equation model, we find that IIUM is significantly associated with higher SWB. This association is partially mediated through two opposing support channels: IIUM is linked to increased financial transfers from children, which enhances parental SWB, but also to reduced emotional support, which modestly offsets these gains. The magnitude of these pathways varies across key social and institutional groups (e.g., employment/retirement status, hukou, and medical insurance coverage). These findings extend research on intergenerational mobility beyond the outcomes of the mobile individuals themselves by showing that adult children’s upward income mobility has measurable spillover effects on parents’ subjective well-being, and by identifying the material–emotional support trade-off through which these effects operate.