Chinese-style intergenerational support: reciprocity or exploitation?

As China faces accelerating population aging, intergenerational support and reciprocity within families have drawn increasing scholarly attention. Using panel data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) between 2018 and 2023, this study empirically examines the effects of parental downward intergenerational support on children’s upward reciprocity and the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The findings indicate that parental downward support significantly promotes children’s upward reciprocity, primarily by enhancing elderly support expectations and the frequency of intergenerational contact. Different forms of downward support exhibit distinct effects: economic support more effectively elicits economic reciprocity from children, whereas parental household assistance and grandchild care primarily drive children’s upward household assistance. Heterogeneity analyses show that these positive effects are significant across all groups, with larger estimated effects in rural households and lower-income groups. Confucian cultural intensity further amplifies the positive association between intergenerational support and reciprocity. Moreover, greater parental support may coincide with lower perceived care from children, suggesting a potential mismatch between instrumental support and emotional response. This study advances the understanding of intergenerational resource flows within families and offers theoretical and practical insights for promoting intergenerational harmony and informing relevant policy interventions.