Sex, age, and class influences on quality of life in Chinese cities

In theory, social stratification in terms of sex, age, and class can transpire in the contextual influences of the strata on their members. This hypothesis can apply to the effects of collective quality of life on personal quality of life. Gathering survey data from 2,036 working Chinese people in three Chinese cities, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taipei, the study examine the hypothesis in order to elucidate social stratification in Chinese societies. Results showed that the collective quality of life of class and age groups predicted the individual group member's quality of life. In contrast, the contextual influence of one's sex group was not consistent. Besides, the city could function as a geographical stratification factor to affect the inhabitant's quality of life. Accordingly, societal quality and opportunity in the city are beneficial to its citizens. Nevertheless, economic development (GDP per capita) did not generally boost life quality among citizens. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.