Table 1. Summary statistics for older adults — China, the US, and the EU, 2008–2018.
| Variables | Country | Obs | Mean | S.D. | Min | Max | Variable description |
| Note: This table presents summary statistics for cognitive assessments, demographic, and childhood circumstance variables. The 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th percentiles of cognitive score (for CN) are 0, 3, 8, 14, 18, respectively. Abbreviation: CN=China; US=the United States; EU=the European Union; SD=standard deviation; SES=socioeconomic status; HRS= Health and Retirement Study. | |||||||
| Cognition | CN | 8,819 | 8.9 | 6.8 | 0 | 28 | Continuous: include orientation, episodic memory, and calculating ability; possible values 0–29 |
| US | 6,106 | 16.5 | 4.5 | 1 | 29 | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 17.5 | 4.3 | 0 | 29 | ||
| Standardized cognition score | CN | 8,819 | −1.0 | 1.1 | −2.4 | 2.1 | Measured in Z-scores, using mean and standard deviation of cognition scores in all three HRS-family surveys combined |
| US | 6,106 | 0.2 | 0.7 | −2.2 | 2.2 | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.4 | 0.7 | −2.4 | 2.2 | ||
| Male | CN | 8,819 | 0.5 | 0.5 | / | / | Dummy: males were assigned 1, females were assigned 0 |
| US | 6,106 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Age | CN | 8,819 | 69.3 | 7.1 | 60 | 102 | Continuous: selected samples aged ≥60 years |
| US | 6,106 | 76.1 | 7.2 | 60 | 100 | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 72.6 | 7.5 | 60 | 100 | ||
| Years of education | CN | 8,819 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 0 | 16 | Continuous: years of education the respondents received |
| US | 6,472 | 12.0 | 4.5 | 0 | 17 | ||
| EU | 15,709 | 11.2 | 4.2 | 0 | 25 | ||
| War or famine experiences | CN | 8,819 | 0.2 | 0.4 | / | / | Dummy: experienced World War II, the Anti-Japanese War or famine in childhood assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.0 | 0.1 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.0 | 0.2 | / | / | ||
| Family SES in childhood | |||||||
| Father: no school | CN | 8,819 | 0.6 | 0.5 | / | / | Dummy: fathers did not attend school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.0 | 0.2 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.0 | 0.2 | / | / | ||
| Father: below primary school | CN | 8,819 | 0.2 | 0.4 | / | / | Dummy: fathers did not finish primary school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.1 | 0.2 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.1 | 0.2 | / | / | ||
| Father: primary school | CN | 8,819 | 0.1 | 0.3 | / | / | Dummy: fathers finished primary school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.1 | 0.4 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Father: secondary school | CN | 8,819 | 0.1 | 0.2 | / | / | Dummy: fathers finished secondary school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.6 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.2 | 0.4 | / | / | ||
| Father: university and above | CN | 8,819 | 0.0 | 0.1 | / | / | Dummy: fathers attended university or above were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.2 | 0.4 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.3 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Mother: no school | CN | 8,819 | 0.9 | 0.3 | / | / | Dummy: mothers did not attend school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.0 | 0.2 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.0 | 0.1 | / | / | ||
| Mother: below primary school | CN | 8,819 | 0.0 | 0.2 | / | / | Dummy: mothers did not finish primary school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.0 | 0.3 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.1 | 0.3 | / | / | ||
| Mother: primary school | CN | 8,819 | 0.0 | 0.1 | / | / | Dummy: mothers finished primary school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.1 | 0.3 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.5 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Mother: secondary school | CN | 8,819 | 0.0 | 0.1 | / | / | Dummy: mothers finished secondary school were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.7 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.2 | 0.4 | / | / | ||
| Mother: university and above | CN | 8,819 | 0.0 | 0.03 | / | / | Dummy: mothers attended university or above were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.1 | 0.3 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.2 | 0.4 | / | / | ||
| Parental health | |||||||
| Father: alive | CN | 8,819 | 0.1 | 0.2 | / | / | Dummy: fathers still alive assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.0 | 0.1 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.0 | 0.1 | / | / | ||
| Father: lower lifespan than average | CN | 8,819 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | Dummy: fathers died at below-average lifespan assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.5 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Father: higher lifespan than average | CN | 8,819 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | Dummy: fathers died at above-average lifespan assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.5 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Mother: alive | CN | 8,819 | 0.1 | 0.4 | / | / | Dummy: mothers still alive assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.1 | 0.3 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.1 | 0.3 | / | / | ||
| Mother: lower lifespan than average | CN | 8,819 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | Dummy: mothers died at below-average lifespan assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Mother: higher lifespan than average | CN | 8,819 | 0.3 | 0.5 | / | / | Dummy: mothers died at above-average lifespan assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.5 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.4 | 0.5 | / | / | ||
| Childhood health | CN | 8,819 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1 | 5 | Continuous: possible values 1–5, higher indicate poorer self-rated health in childhood |
| US | 6,106 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1 | 5 | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Child abuse | CN | 8,819 | 0.3 | 0.4 | / | / | Dummy: beaten by parents during childhood were assigned 1; 0 otherwise |
| US | 6,106 | 0.1 | 0.2 | / | / | ||
| EU | 18,540 | 0.3 | 0.4 | / | / | ||