Land circulation has a significant positive impact on the health of the elderly that is mainly on mental health rather than physical health, with non-farm income and social interaction frequency serving as vital channels of this effect.
Key Findings
Results
Land circulation has a significant positive impact on mental health of rural elderly but not on physical health.
Data source was the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)
The health-promoting effect of land circulation was 'mainly on mental health, while the impact on physical health is not significant'
Results held after addressing endogeneity using propensity score matching (PSM) and instrumental variables (IV) methods
Both analytical approaches confirmed the differential effects on mental versus physical health
Results
The mental health effects of land circulation differ significantly by gender, with males showing stronger benefits.
Land circulation 'significantly strengthens the mental health' of males
The gender heterogeneity analysis was part of subgroup analyses examining differential health effects
Female elderly did not show the same significant mental health benefit from land circulation
Results
The mental health benefits of land circulation are concentrated among lower-aged elderly rather than older age groups.
Land circulation 'significantly strengthens the mental health of the lower-aged elderly'
Age-based heterogeneity was identified as a meaningful moderator of the land circulation-health relationship
Older elderly did not show the same significant mental health benefit
Results
Elderly living with their children (two-generation living arrangement) experience stronger mental health benefits from land circulation.
Land circulation 'significantly strengthens the mental health of...the elderly living with their children'
The analysis examined 'two-generation living arrangement' as a moderating variable
Co-residence with children amplified the mental health effects of land circulation
Results
Increased non-farm income and social interaction frequency are the key mechanisms through which land circulation affects elderly mental health.
'The increase in non-farm income and social interaction frequency is a vital channel of land circulation affecting the mental health of the elderly'
Mechanism analysis was conducted to identify mediating pathways between land circulation and health outcomes
These two channels were identified as the primary mediators in the land circulation-mental health relationship
Zhang Y, Sun F, Wang L, Cao S. (2026). Land circulation impacts the physical and mental health of the elderly in rural Chinese households.. Scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02479-w