Health and Retirement Study in Asia Conference on Chinese Healthy Aging and Socioeconomics: International Perspectives

1. Health and Retirement Study in AsiaConference on Chinese Healthy Aging and Socioeconomics: International Perspectives August 2004 Jinkook Lee, Ph.D. Ohio State University

2. Today’s Agenda • Need for International Harmonization • Current Harmonization Efforts • U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) • English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) • Survey of Health, Retirement, and Ageing in Europe (SHARE) • Toward Harmonized Data on Ageing in Asia • Korean Panel Study of Ageing Lee, Jinkook

3. Need for International Harmonization

4. Why harmonize? • Aging is one of the greatest social and economic challenges of the 21st century in the world. • The projected growth in the numbers and proportions of the world’s older population pose array of challenges to policy makers. • Many countries are now in the early stages of adapting to their changing population age structures. • Since current and perspective policy responses are likely to differ among countries, a number of natural experiments are, or shortly will be, under way, enabling countries to learn from each other’s experience. Lee, Jinkook

5. Why harmonize? • Therefore, major scientific and policy gains would be possible if a number of countries could be induced to embark on data design and collection activities. • Advantages would arise from the confluence of several factors: • the differential rates of population aging throughout the world provide a unique opportunity for countries to learn from each other’s experiences; • the concomitant economic and social changes that are occurring differently throughout the world. Lee, Jinkook

6. Why harmonize? • To benefit from the possibility of exploiting institutional differences to understand the effects of policy measures, data collection efforts in different countries must be harmonized in the sense that conceptually comparable information is collected, and procedures (e.g., for sampling and quality control) are synchronized to the extent possible. • However, the harmonization does not imply that survey protocols need to be identical in all countries. Lee, Jinkook

7. Current Harmonization Efforts

8. Current Harmonization Efforts • With the goal of collecting data that are strictly comparable to allow cross-country research, the following three harmonized projects have begun: • The U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) • The English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) • The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Lee, Jinkook

9. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) • This multi-disciplinary study began in 1990, including subject matters of • demographics, health, family structure, job history, cognition, housing, income, and net worth. • HRS is intended to provide data for researchers, policy analysts, and program planners • who are making major policy decisions that affect retirement, health insurance, saving and economic well-being. Lee, Jinkook

10. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) • HRS is supported • by funding from National Institute on Aging (NIA)/ National Institutes of Health (NIH) • with supplementary funding from: • the Social Security Administration, • the Department of Labor, • the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs, • the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services. Lee, Jinkook

11. HRS: Study design • National panel study • Initial sample of over 12,600 persons in 7,600 households • Over-samples of Hispanics, Blacks, and Florida residents • Baseline: • in-home, face-to-face in 1992 for the 1931-41 birth cohort (and their spouses, if married, regardless of age); and • in 1998 for newly added 1924-1930 and 1942-47 birth cohorts • Follow-ups by telephone every second year, with proxy interviews after death Lee, Jinkook

12. HRS: Questionnaire topics • Health and cognitive conditions and status • Retirement plans and perspectives • Attitudes, preferences, expectations, and subjective probabilities • Family structure and transfers • Employment status and job history • Job demands and requirements • Disability • Demographic background • Housing • Income and net worth • Health insurance and pension plans • Experimental modules Lee, Jinkook

13. English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) • The aim of ELSA is • to become an interdisciplinary data resource on health, economic position and quality of life as people age. • The survey cover the following topics: • Health, disability, healthy life expectancy • The relationship between economic position and health • The determinants of economic position in older age • The timing and circumstances of retirement and post-retirement labour market activity • The nature of social networks, support and participation • Household and family structure and the transfer of resources. Lee, Jinkook

14. English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) • Funding: • Half of ELSA's initial five year budget has been provided by the National Institute of Ageing in the US. • The second half of the budget has been provided by UK Government Departments : • Department of Health, • Department for Work and Pensions, • Office for National Statistics, • Department for Environment, • Food and Rural Affairs, • Department for Transport, • Local Government and the Regions, • Department for Education and Skills, • Department of Culture,Media and Sport and • HM Treasury. Lee, Jinkook

15. English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) • Development Process: • ELSA was launched in October 2000. • Designing of the survey questionnaire: January – July, 2001 • First Pilot Study: August 2001 • Post pilot conference:October 2001 • Second Pilot Study: November 2001 Interviewer Training: April 2002 • Data Collection: April – September, 2002 • The findings from the first wave of the survey published in December 2003: • Health, wealth and lifestyles of the older population in England: THE 2002 ENGLISH LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF AGEING Lee, Jinkook

16. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • SHARE aims to create, evaluate and analyze a large-scale pan-European and interdisciplinary household survey of respondents aged 50 and over. • The collected data include: • physical and mental health • social support networks • income and wealth • psychological variables • Face-to-face, computer-aided personal interviews (CAPI), supplemented by a self-completion paper and pencil questionnaire. Lee, Jinkook

17. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • Funding: • The European Commission provided the initial funding for a prototype survey that demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of a large-scale cross-national and interdisciplinary survey in 2004. • AMANDA (Advanced Multidisciplinary Analysis of New Data on Ageing), a second EU-sponsored project will analyze these data, develop prototype indictors for the well-being of the elderly, and perform behavioral analyses. • Austria, Belgium and Switzerland are formally part of SHARE but have their own funding as part of several national projects. Lee, Jinkook

18. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • Project participants:11 countries • Scandinavia: • Sweden, Denmark • Western and Central Europe: • France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria • Mediterranean: • Spain, Italy, Greece Lee, Jinkook

19. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • SHARE follow a common set-up across all countries with the goal of collecting data that are strictly comparable to allow cross-country research. • Hence, the most difficult tasks are: • Take into account differences in language, culture and institutions. • Develop country-specific feasible sample designs, making use of suitable sampling frames that are already available. Lee, Jinkook

20. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • Development process • Formation of team in January 2002 • Core management & each country team • Initial Instrument development • Iterating between questionnaire development and preliminary data collection. • 11 cross-national working groups designed interview modules based on the US HRS, the UK ELSA and other survey instruments. • By June 2002, the 1st draft was completed, and pilot tests were conducted over the summer of 2002. Lee, Jinkook

21. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • Development process • The UK-Pilot • The 2nd version of instrument is programmed using CAPTI, and pilot-tested in U.K. during September 2002. • At the end of the year 2002, the 3rd version of the English-language draft questionnaire was ready. • The all-country pilot • During the Spring of 2003, versions 4 of the questionnaire were developed in the UK, US, Germany and Italy and translated in all SHARE languages. • In June/July 2003, the translated instruments (version 5) were tested simultaneously in all SHARE languages in nine SHARE countries, collecting data on some 600 individuals from a quota sample. Lee, Jinkook

22. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • Development process • The random sample pretest • After further refinements and improvements of the questionnaire, version 8 was tested on a full probability sample in all SHARE countries during January and February of 2004. • The main test survey • For the main test, the optimized questionnaire version 10 was used, along with a further improved. This survey started mid April, and is supposed to last until the end of September. • An midterm meeting was held on the 23 of June, in which experiences were changed and further steps were decided. Lee, Jinkook

23. Toward Harmonized Data in Asia

24. HRS in Asia • Currently, there is a lack of comparable data in Asia.  A critical need to collect the harmonized health and retirement data in Asia. Lee, Jinkook

25. Korean Panel Study of Aging

26. Changing Demographics in Korea • Korea is currently becoming an ageing society at an unprecedentedly rapid rate. • In 2002, Korea recorded the lowest level of birth rate in the OECD countries. • The economically active population (aged 15 to 64) is expected to reach its peak in the late 2010's, and then start to decrease. • The total population also will start experiencing a steady decrease from the early 2020's. Lee, Jinkook

27. Demographic changes in Korea Lee, Jinkook

28. Ageing in Korea • While currently Korea has relatively young population in OECD countries, it will have one of the oldest, just behind Japan by 2050. • Low birth rate and rapid ageing will lead to major changes in society and the economy. • A prompt response to a new population structure is essential and urgent. Lee, Jinkook

29. Policy Initiative in Korea • The Government founded the Presidential Committee on Ageing and Future Society in February 2004. • The Mission is: • To advise the President on mid and long-term policies to predict and prepare for future society's social and economic changes brought by low birthrate and rapid ageing in Korea, thus enhancing national competitiveness and quality of people's lives Lee, Jinkook

30. Current Policy Directions Lee, Jinkook

31. Lee, Jinkook

32. New Initiative in Aging Study • In order to conduct mid and long-term analysis, a nationally representative, panel data on Aging is a must. • The Budget Ministry approved a budget for collecting panel data on Aug, 2004. • 700 million Won per year (about $560,000) Lee, Jinkook

33. Panel Study of Aging in Korea • Project Leaders • Dr. Jinkook Lee, Ohio State University • Dr. Soo Kyoung Hwang, Korean Labor Institute (KLI) • Project Team Members • Economics: Dr. Hyungsoo Kim, University of Kentucky • Family Studies: Dr. Seonglim Lee, Seong Kyun Gwan University • Health: Dr. Seokpyo Hong, Korean Institute of Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) • Research Methodology: Randall Olsen, Ohio State University • Sociology: Dr. Hanam Phang, KLI and University of Michigan • Social Work: Dr. Kyunghee Chung, KIHASA Lee, Jinkook

34. Panel Study of Aging in Korea • HRS Advisory Board • Dr. James P. Smith, HRS, Rand Corporation • Dr. Robert Willis, HRS, University of Michigan • Dr. Axel Borsch-Supan, SHARE, University of Manheim • The Survey Instrument Review Board • Dr. Gong Sook Hong, Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University • Dr. Chulhee Lee, Economics, Seoul National University • Dr. Gyounghae Hahn, Family Studies, Seoul National University • Dr. Hyunsook Yoon, Social Work, Hallym University Lee, Jinkook