HOME ALONE: DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA AND THE U.S. SHARON M. LEE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY POPULATION RESEARCH GROUP UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA

BACKGROUND IMPORTANT TO STUDY LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF ELDERLY IMPORTANT TO STUDY LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF ELDERLY RESIDENTIAL OPTIONS FOR OLDER PEOPLE RESIDENTIAL OPTIONS FOR OLDER PEOPLE INDEPENDENT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS INDEPENDENT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS LIVING ALONE (IF NOT PARTNERED/MARRIED) LIVING WITH PARTNER ONLY (IF PARTNERED) RISE IN INDEPENDENT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AMONG ELDERLY IN MANY COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA RISE IN INDEPENDENT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AMONG ELDERLY IN MANY COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA

MORE BACKGROUND GOING SOLO GOING SOLO MORE PEOPLE ARE LIVING ALONE “SINGLETONS” (KLINENBERG, 2012) “SINGLETONS” (KLINENBERG, 2012) AGING ALONE AGING ALONE BUT WHAT ABOUT OLDER IMMIGRANTS? BUT WHAT ABOUT OLDER IMMIGRANTS?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE OLDER IMMIGRANTS LESS LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE, COMPARED TO NATIVE- BORN ELDERLY? ARE OLDER IMMIGRANTS LESS LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE, COMPARED TO NATIVE- BORN ELDERLY? WHAT ARE THE DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA AND THE U.S.? WHAT ARE THE DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA AND THE U.S.?

RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS NEGLECT OF OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN PUBLIC FORUMS AND RESEARCH ON AGING NEGLECT OF OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN PUBLIC FORUMS AND RESEARCH ON AGING HIGHLIGHT LIVING ALONE AS A FORM OF LIVING ARRANGEMENT AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS HIGHLIGHT LIVING ALONE AS A FORM OF LIVING ARRANGEMENT AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS COMPARISON OF CANADA AND THE U.S. COMPARISON OF CANADA AND THE U.S.

WHY COMPARE CANADA AND THE U.S.? VALUE OF COMPARATIVE RESEARCH VALUE OF COMPARATIVE RESEARCH THREE SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS: THREE SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS: –IMMIGRATION –POPULATION AGING –INCREASED ETHNIC AND RACIAL DIVERSITY

DATA 2006 CENSUS OF CANADA PUMF 2006 CENSUS OF CANADA PUMF 2006 AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY (ACS) PUMS 2006 AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY (ACS) PUMS NON-MARRIED ADULTS, AGED 55 AND OLDER NON-MARRIED ADULTS, AGED 55 AND OLDER

SAMPLE SIZES: NON-MARRIED, 55 AND OLDER CanadaU.S. Canadian- born Foreign- born U.S.-born Unweighted Sample Size 50,05417,894273,18527,573 Weighted Sample Size 1,851,998662,07824,721,3293,100,073

VARIABLES BINARY OUTCOME VARIABLE: LIVING ALONE BINARY OUTCOME VARIABLE: LIVING ALONE EXPLANATORY VARIABLES EXPLANATORY VARIABLES –DEMOGRAPHIC –ECONOMIC –ACCULTURATION –OTHER CONTROLS

METHODS OF ANALYSIS DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSES DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSES TWO SEPARATE LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, ALL NON- MARRIED ELDERLY, CANADA AND U.S. TWO SEPARATE LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, ALL NON- MARRIED ELDERLY, CANADA AND U.S. FOUR LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, ALL NON-MARRIED ELDERLY FOUR LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, ALL NON-MARRIED ELDERLY –CANADA/FEMALES –CANADA/MALES –U.S./FEMALES –U.S./MALES FOUR LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, NON-MARRIED OLDER IMMIGRANTS, FOR ABOVE FOUR GROUPS FOUR LOGISTIC REGRESSIONS, NON-MARRIED OLDER IMMIGRANTS, FOR ABOVE FOUR GROUPS

LIMITATIONS CHALLENGES OF COMPARATIVE RESEARCH CHALLENGES OF COMPARATIVE RESEARCH CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY CONCEPTUAL ISSUE CONCEPTUAL ISSUE MEASUREMENT ISSUE MEASUREMENT ISSUE CENSUS AND ACS DATA LIMITATIONS CENSUS AND ACS DATA LIMITATIONS

DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS

Descriptive Statistics of Samples CanadaU.S. Canadian- born Foreign- born U.S.- born Foreign- born Mean Age % Divorced or Separated % Widowed Mean Years of Education Mean Income 31,73830,14327,59420,755 % Own Home

Descriptive Statistics of Samples CanadaU.S. Canadian- born Foreign- born U.S.- born Foreign- born % Metropolitan Residence % Single European origin % Single Asian origin % Single Latino origin

Immigrant-specific Characteristics: Duration of Residence and Language Proficiency CanadaU.S. Mean years of residence % with less than 10 years of residence % with highest language proficiency % with lowest language proficiency

Percent Living Alone, Non-married, 55 and Older Canada Canada Native-born: 70.7 Immigrants: 54.8 Difference: 15.9 Native-born females: 70.7 Female immigrants: 52.4 Difference: 18.3 Native-born males: 70.6 Male immigrants: 61.0 Difference: 9.6 U.S. Native-born: 73.2 Immigrants: 51.7 Difference: 21.5 Native-born females: 70.6 Female immigrants: 47.3 Difference: 23.3 Native-born males: 78.8 Male immigrants: 64.1 Difference: 14.7

LOGISTIC REGRESSION RESULTS, ALL ELDERLY

Descriptive and Adjusted Percents, Living Alone by Nativity

Descriptive and Adjusted Percents Living Alone, Females and Males, Canada

Descriptive and Adjusted Percents Living Alone, Females and Males, U.S.

LOGISTIC REGRESSION RESULTS, OLDER IMMIGRANTS

EFFECTS OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Predicted Proportion Living Alone by Age

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Marital Status, Females and Males, Canada

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Marital Status, Females and Males, U.S.

EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Education, Females and Males, Canada

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Education, Females and Males, U.S.

Predicted Proportion Living Alone by Income

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Homeownership, Females and Males, Canada

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Homeownership, Females and Males, U.S.

EFFECTS OF ACCULTURATION CHARACTERISTICS

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Language Proficiency, Females and Males, Canada

Predicted Percent Living Alone by Language Proficiency, Females and Males, U.S.

Predicted Proportion Living Alone by Duration of Residence

DISCUSSION RESEARCH QUESTION 1 RESEARCH QUESTION 1 ARE OLDER IMMIGRANTS LESS LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE THAN NATIVE-BORN ELDERLY? RESEARCH QUESTION 2 RESEARCH QUESTION 2 WHAT ARE THE DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS?

FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THREE FINDINGS EFFECTS OF AGE EFFECTS OF AGE EFFECTS OF MARITAL STATUS EFFECTS OF MARITAL STATUS EFFECTS OF GENDER EFFECTS OF GENDER

DIFFERENT EFFECTS OF AGE POSITIVE FOR CANADA POSITIVE FOR CANADA NEGATIVE FOR THE U.S. NEGATIVE FOR THE U.S. SHARPER FOR FEMALES, BOTH CANADA AND THE U.S. SHARPER FOR FEMALES, BOTH CANADA AND THE U.S.

MARITAL STATUS EFFECTS WIDOWS/WIDOWERS ARE NOT THE MOST LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE WIDOWS/WIDOWERS ARE NOT THE MOST LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE MARITAL DISRUPTION DUE TO DIVORCE IS STRONGER DETERMINANT MARITAL DISRUPTION DUE TO DIVORCE IS STRONGER DETERMINANT NEVER-MARRIED ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY THAN WIDOWS TO LIVE ALONE NEVER-MARRIED ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY THAN WIDOWS TO LIVE ALONE

GENDER EFFECTS MEN, NOT WOMEN, ARE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE MEN, NOT WOMEN, ARE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE SIMILAR IN CANADA AND THE U.S. SIMILAR IN CANADA AND THE U.S.

CONCLUSION LIVING ALONE IS NOT UNCOMMON AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS LIVING ALONE IS NOT UNCOMMON AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS LIVING ALONE IS ASSOCIATED WITH ADVANTAGEOUS CHARACTERISTICS LIVING ALONE IS ASSOCIATED WITH ADVANTAGEOUS CHARACTERISTICS PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

HOME ALONE: DETERMINANTS OF LIVING ALONE AMONG OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA AND THE U.S. SHARON M. LEE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA

Highest and Lowest Predicted Percents Living Alone, Ethnic Groups Canada Canada Females Females Korean: 69.0 % Filipino: 32.7 % Males Males Canadian: 81 % Latin American: 37.7 % U.S. Females French: 66.8 % Asian Indian: 33 % Males American: 87.5 % Filipino: 48.5 %