Living arrangements of the elderly in Poland

Jolanta Kurkiewicz, Cracow University of Economics

One of the important consequences of the socio-economic transition in Poland are the deep changes of the demographic processes which influence the age population structure. Simultaneous fertility and mortality decline accelerate the ageing process observed not only on the population but on the households level as well. As the resources of pension system are not able to satisfy all the needs of the elderly more self-reliance in income security and family responsibility for older persons care is necessary. The socio - economic background of the ageing on the households level is considered in the paper. The purpose of the work is to determine the main patterns of living arrangements of the elderly in Poland and to reveal the significant features affecting them. In the social context the solitary living and the co-residence with children or other relatives is considered. Institutional living is excluded. The households’ old consumer behaviour patterns (incomes and expenses) compose the economic background of the consideration. On the basis of the data coming from households budgets and using econometric modelling as a main methodology some regularities are revealed. With reference to living arrangements the multivariate logistic regression models are applied. Among variables affecting the probability of living alone are: age, sex, martial status, and education level. For instance the probability of living alone decrease with age. It is lower for older people with elementary education. They are significant differences in living arrangements of older persons in the context of rural and urban environment. The probability of living alone is higher for older people in urban than in rural areas. The significant influence of disability occurs only in the male population aged more than 70. The feature enumerated above significantly affect the evaluation of current incomes and economic situation of the elderly.