Young Chinese more aware of elderly care issues: survey

BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Young people in CHINA are more aware of the issues regarding elderly care and more of them are making early preparations, according to a survey by CHINA Youth Daily.

Among 1,876 surveyed people aged 18 to 35, 52.1 percent have bought insurance for themselves or their parents in preparation for life after retirement.

Some of them said they had bought insurance for fear that they wouldn't be able to afford the elderly care services they or their parents would need after retirement.

For many of them, medical service expenditures remain a major concern. Wang Yuanyuan (pseudonym,) an interviewee from Tianjin, said her father's heart operation cost her family more than 100,000 yuan (about 15,000 U.S. dollars).

For this reason, apart from purchasing insurance, many interviewees also chose to take better care of their own health, or encourage their families to do so.

About 57.1 percent of the interviewees urged their elderly family members to take part in medical examinations on a regular basis, and 47.8 percent opted for a healthy diet and more physical exercise.