The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) aims to collect a high quality nationally representative sample of Chinese residents ages 45 and older to serve the needs of scientific research on the elderly. The baseline national wave of CHARLS is being fielded in 2011 and includes about 10,000 households and 17,500 individuals in 150 counties/districts and 450 villages/resident committees. The individuals will be followed up every two years. All data will be made public one year after the end of data collection.

References

• Zhao, Y., Strauss, J., Chen, X., Wang, Y., Gong, J., Meng, Q., Wang, G., & Wang, H. (2020). China health and retirement longitudinal study wave 4 user’s guide. National School of Development, Peking University, 5–6.

• Zhao, Y., Hu, Y., Smith, J. P., Strauss, J., & Yang, G. (2014). Cohort Profile: The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(1), 61–68.

• Chen, X., Giles, J., Yao, Y., Yip, W., Meng, Q., Berkman, L., Chen, H., Chen, X., Feng, J., Feng, Z., Glinskaya, E., Gong, J., Hu, P., Kan, H., Lei, X., Liu, X., Steptoe, A., Wang, G., Wang, H., Wang, H., … Zhao, Y. (2022). The path to healthy ageing in China: a Peking University-Lancet Commission. Lancet, 400(10367), 1967–2006. 

• Gong, J., Wang, G., Wang, Y., Chen, X., Chen, Y., Meng, Q., Yang, P., Yao, Y., & Zhao, Y. (2022). Nowcasting and forecasting the care needs of the older population in China: Analysis of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The Lancet Public Health, 7(12), e1005–e1013.

Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS) collected longitudinal data coordinated by the Center for Healthy Aging and Development Studies of National School of Development at Peking University. The baseline survey was conducted in 1998 and the follow-up surveys were conducted in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008-2009, 2011-2012, 2014 and 2017-2018 in randomly selected about half of the counties and city districts in 23 Chinese provinces. In the 8 waves of the CLHLS conducted in 1998-2018, we have conducted face-to-face home-based 113 thousands interviews, including 19.5 thousand centenarians, 26.8 thousands nonagenarians, 29.7 thousands octogenarians, 25.5 thousands younger elderly aged 65-79, and 11.3 thousands middle-age adults aged 35-64. In the latest follow-up survey (2017-2018), 15,874 elder people aged 65 and above were visited, and information about 2,226 elder people deceased during 2014-2018 were collected. 

References

• CLHLS at Duke Aging Center

The China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) is a nationwide, continuous large-scale social survey project (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020). By regularly and systematically collecting social and economic background data of the elderly population in China, it grasps various issues and challenges faced by the elderly in the aging process, evaluates the actual effects of various social policy measures in improving the quality of life of the elderly, and provides important theoretical and factual basis for solving aging problems in China.

References

The Beijing Healthy Aging Cohort Study (BHACS) was established to supplement the limited data of a large representative cohort of older people based on the general population and was designed to evaluate the prevalence, incidence, and natural history of cognitive decline, functional disability, and conventional vascular risk factors. The aim was to determine the evolution of these conditions by estimating the rates and determinants of progression and regression to adverse outcomes, including dementia, cardiovascular events, cancer, and all-cause death. It can therefore provide evidence to help policy makers develop better policies to promote healthy aging in China. BHACS consisted of three cohorts (BLSA, CCHS-Beijing, and BECHCS) in Beijing with a total population of 11 235 (6281 in urban and 4954 in rural areas) and an age range of 55 years or older (55–101 years) with a mean age of 70.35 ± 7.71 years (70.69 ± 7.62 years in urban and 69.92 ± 7.80 years in rural areas). BHACS-BLSA conducted the baseline survey in 2009 with a multistage stratification-random clustering procedure for people aged 55 years or older; BHACS-CCHS-Beijing conducted the baseline survey in 2013–2015 with a stratified multistage cluster random sampling method for people aged 55 years or older; and BHACS-BECHCS conducted the baseline survey in 2010–2014 with two-stage cluster random sampling method for people aged 60 years or older. Data were collected through questionnaires, physical measurements, and laboratory analyses. Topics covered by BHACS include a wide range of physical and mental health indicators, lifestyles and personal, family, and socio-economic determinants of health. There are no immediate plans to make the cohort data freely available to the public, but specific proposals for further collaboration are welcome. For further information and collaboration, please contact the corresponding author Yao He (e-mail: yhe301@x263.net).

References

• Liu, M., Yang, J., Wang, C., Yang, S., Wang, J., Hou, C., Wang, S., Li, X., Li, F., Yang, H., Li, H., Liu, S., Chen, S., Hu, S., Li, X., Li, Z., Li, R., Li, H., Bao, Y., … He, Y. (2024). Cohort profile: Beijing Healthy Aging Cohort Study (BHACS). European Journal of Epidemiology, 39(1), 101–110.

China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) is a nationally representative, biennial longitudinal survey of Chinese communities, families, and individuals launched in 2010 by the Institute of Social Science Survey (ISSS) of Peking University, China. The CFPS is designed to collect individual-, family-, and community-level longitudinal data in contemporary China. The studies focus on the economic, as well as the non-economic, wellbeing of the Chinese population, with a wealth of information covering such topics as economic activities, education outcomes, family dynamics and relationships, migration, and health. The CFPS is funded by the Chinese government through Peking University. The CFPS promises to provide to the academic community the most comprehensive and highest-quality survey data on contemporary China.

References

• Xie, Y., & Hu, J. (2014). An Introduction to the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Chinese Sociological Review, 47(1), 3–29. 

The China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) is a nationwide sampling survey project conducted by the China Household Finance Survey and Research Center, which aims to collect relevant information on the micro-level of household finance. The main contents include: demographic characteristics and employment, assets and liabilities, income and consumption, social security and insurance, and subjective attitudes, etc., and provide a comprehensive and detailed portrayal of household economic and financial behaviors.

The CHFS baseline survey began in 2011. So far, five rounds of nationwide sampling survey projects have been successfully implemented in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, and the sixth round of surveys in 2021 is still in progress. CHFS’s latest public fifth round of survey data in 2019 covers 29 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities), 343 districts and counties, 1,360 village (neighborhood) committees, and a sample size of 34,643 households. The data is representative of the whole country and the province.

In China, research on family finance has just started, and the center’s results fill the gap in academic research and current situation of Chinese family finance. Its significance has gone beyond the academic community and has produced extensive and positive social benefits. In terms of academics, the data released by the center has aroused great interest in the academic community, and a series of research results have emerged. With the in-depth construction of the database, more researchers will participate in the study of family finance. In terms of social benefits, the center actively participates in the research and discussion of major policy issues in China, and has in-depth research and exploration in many major macroeconomic policies in China, such as real estate market regulation, income distribution and economic transformation, and urbanization issues.

References

• Gan, L., Wu, Y., He, Q., He, X., & Yi, D. (2019). Research on Chinese household finance, 2016. Chengdu: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics Press.

• Gan, L., Yin, Z., & Tan, J. (2015). China household finance survey report, 2014. Chengdu: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics Press.

• Gan, L., Yin, Z., Jia, N., Xu, S., & Ma, S. (2012). China household finance survey report, 2012. Chengdu: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics Press.

• Gan, L., Yin, Z., Jia, N., Xu, S., & Ma, S. (2013). Analysis of Chinese household asset status and housing demand. Financial Research, 2013(4), 1–14.

The China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), an ongoing open cohort, international collaborative project between the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Institute for Nutrition and Health (NINH, former National Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety) at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC), was designed to examine the effects of the health, nutrition, and family planning policies and programs implemented by national and local governments and to see how the social and economic transformation of Chinese society is affecting the health and nutritional status of its population. The impact on nutrition and health behaviors and outcomes is gauged by changes in community organizations and programs as well as by changes in sets of household and individual economic, demographic, and social factors.

The survey was conducted by an international team of researchers whose backgrounds include nutrition, public health, economics, sociology, Chinese studies, and demography. The survey took place over a 7-day period using a multistage, random cluster process to draw a sample of about 7,200 households with over 30,000 individuals in 15 provinces and municipal cities that vary substantially in geography, economic development, public resources, and health indicators. In addition, detailed community data were collected in surveys of food markets, health facilities, family planning officials, and other social services and community leaders.

References

The purpose of the Chinese Household Income Project was to measure and estimate the distribution of personal income in both rural and urban areas of the People's Republic of China. The principal investigators based their definition of income on cash payments and on a broad range of additional components: payments in kind valued at market prices, agricultural output produced for self-consumption valued at market prices, the value of ration coupons and other direct subsidies, and the imputed value of housing. Data were collected through a series of questionnaire-based interviews conducted in rural and urban areas in 1988, 1995, 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2018. Individual respondents reported on their economic status, employment, level of education, sources of income, household composition, and household expenditures. The Chinese Household Income Project collected data in 1988, 1995, 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2018.

References

The China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), launched by Sun Yat-Sen University, is the first national longitudinal social survey targeted at the labor force in China (2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018). It provides detailed data on employment, migration, education, family structure, and economic conditions, covering a broad range of social and demographic factors. The CLDS is one of the most important datasets for understanding China's labor market, rural-to-urban migration, income inequality, and broader social changes.

References

• Wang, J., Zhou, Y., & Liu, S. (2017). China Labor-force Dynamics Survey: Design and practice. Chinese Sociological Dialogue, 2(3–4), 83–97. 

The Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) launched in 2003, is the earliest national representative continuous survey  project run by academic institution in China mainland. CGSS is aimed to systematically monitor the changing relationship between social structure and quality of life in both urban and rural China. Social structure refers to dimensions of social group and organization as well as networks of social relationships. Quality of life is the objective and subjective aspects of the people well-being both at the individual and aggregate levels.

References

The Chinese Social Survey (CSS), initiated by the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2005, is a large-scale, nationwide, continuous sampling survey project. Its goal is to obtain data on social changes in China during the period of transformation through long-term, longitudinal surveys of the public on various aspects such as labor employment, family and social life, and social attitudes. This data aims to provide detailed and scientific foundational information for social science research and government decision-making.

The survey is conducted every two years as a longitudinal study, using probability sampling for household visits. It covers all 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, including 151 districts and counties, and 604 villages/residential committees. Each survey wave involves visiting 7,000 to 10,000 households. This survey helps gather data on social changes during China’s transformation period, and the research findings can be generalized to the nationwide population of households with individuals aged 18 to 69. Currently, CSS data from the years 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021—eight rounds in total—have been made publicly available.

References

The China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) is a large-scale, nationally representative, longitudinal survey starting with two cohorts – the 7th and 9th graders in the 2013-2014 academic year. Documenting educational processes and transitions by which students progress through various educational stages, the CEPS aims at explaining the linkages between individuals' educational outcomes and multiple contexts of families, school processes, communities and social structure, and further studying the effects of educational outcomes during people's life course.

The CEPS applies a stratified, multistage sampling design with probability proportional to size (PPS), randomly selecting a school-based, nationally representative sample of approximately 20,000 students in 438 classrooms of 112 schools in 28 county-level units in mainland China. The baseline survey of CEPS was completed in the 2013-2014 academic year, conducted by National Survey Research Center (NSRC) at Renmin University of China. The data are currently available for academic research. Follow-up surveys are annual as the sample adolescents matriculate throughout the junior-high stage and in the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 8th, 17th and 27th year after they graduate from junior-high. CEPS will last more than 30 years, during which a new cohort of 7th graders will be started in a 10-year interval.

The CEPS administers 5 different questionnaires to the sample students, parents, homeroom teachers, main subject teachers who are not the homeroom teacher, and school administrators.

The student questionnaire includes topics such as students’ demographic characteristics, mobility and migration status, childhood experience, health status, household structure, parent-child interactions, in-school performance, extra curricular activities, relationship with teachers and peers, social behavior development, and expectations for the future.

Parent questionnaire consists of questions about parents’ demographic characteristics and lifestyles, parent-child interactions, educational environment and investment for child, community environment, parent-teacher interactions, and parents' perceptions of school education and expectations for the future of the child.

The questionnaire for homeroom and main subject teachers involves questions concerning teachers’ demographic characteristics, teaching experience, comments on student behaviors, parent-teacher interactions, comparison between local and non-local students, perceptions of education, and degree of stress and job satisfaction.

The questionnaire for school administrators asks about administrators’ demographic characteristics, perceptions of education, school' s educational facilities, daily management, enrollment of students, statistics of the student body and staff body.

The CEPS employs diverse approaches and various techniques to collect comprehensive, high-quality data. It conducts a standardized cognitive ability tests for students in each grade respectively and an Internet-based personality test for all sample students, and collects transcripts of important examinations (mid-term examinations, senior high school entrance examination, and college entrance examination). Health checks and medical tests will be organized in the coming waves to collect students' bio-markers.

The CEPS data is timely and significant because it captures the educational development during the rapid social change in China, providing rich and invaluable data source for researches in social sciences, policy makers, and school administrators.

References

China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) is an annual large-scale nationwide sample survey of the migrant population conducted by the National Health Commission since 2009, covering 31 provinces and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The annual sample size is nearly 200,000 households, covering basic demographic information of the floating population and family members, the scope and trend of mobility, employment and social security, income and expenditure and residence, basic public health services, marriage and family planning services management, children's mobility and education, and psychological culture. It also includes a survey on social integration and mental health of the mobile population, a survey on health and family planning services in outflow areas, and a survey on medical and health services for the mobile elderly.

References

The panel data collection of the PSFD project was initiated in 1999 in Taiwan. The birth years of the existing five groups of main respondents are between 1935 and 1991. The first-wave data collection of each group of main respondents was conducted by face-to-face sample survey, with the population being Taiwanese residents who met the birth year requirement. In addition to the main respondents, children of the main respondents have been included in the sample once they reached the age of 16. The follow-up surveys for the main respondents and child respondents have been conducted on regular basis. The initial group of main respondents starting from 1999 has experienced 18 waves of panel survey as of 2020. The number of main respondents and child respondents has accumulated to more than 6,000 in 2020. This database constitutes the longest and largest panel study in Taiwan.

References