Abstract
This study examines whether participation in home-based productive activities impedes or encourages formal volunteering among Chinese older adults. We analyzed data newly collected from a random sample of adults aged 55 and older living in Shanghai in 2018. Respondents were sampled through a stratified multistage probability sampling design. A total of 1,200 older adults were sampled and 882 completed the survey, yielding an overall response rate of 73.5%. Home-based productive activities were defined as engaging in caring for grandchildren or homemaking. Volunteering was dichotomized as either participating in any type of community-based volunteer work. Considering that participation in home-based productive activities is likely to be endogenous–correlated with unobservable variates that are also correlated with volunteering, we used two-stage least squares (TSLS) models for the study. Perception of children’s filial piety (1=not filial to 4=very filial) was served as the instrumental variable. Socio-demographic characteristics and health conditions were included as control variables. Results indicated that older adults who were engaged in home-based productive activities were less likely to volunteer. Unlike evidence found in the Western studies, this study provides support for the competing hypothesis that persons who engage in time-consuming activities such as caregiving likely reduce their commitments to other social activities outside the home. Practitioners or policymakers might use this evidence to identify and develop more culturally acceptable, indigenous forms of volunteering for Chinese older adults.