The roles of intergenerational and social support in the subjective well-being of aged migrants and local residents in Shenzhen, China, were investigated. One hundred and thirty-three adults ranging in age from 60 to 83 years old were recruited. Sixty-five of them were migrants, and 68 were local residents. The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the subjective well-being of aged migrants and locals regarding social support from outside the family. After controlling for age, income and self-reported health status, regression analysis demonstrated that emotional support that aged migrants received from their children could positively predict their subjective well-being (β = 0.370, ΔR2 = 12.3 %). In contrast, only emotional support that aged locals provided to their children could positively predict their subjective well-being (β = 0.260, ΔR2 = 6.6%). No correlation between social support from outside the family and the subjective well-being of aged subjects was found in either migrant or local groups. Intergenerational support, especially emotional support, was more important for aged adults’ subjective well-being than social support from outside the family in China. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Aged migrant Intergenerational support Social support Subjective well-being

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