Age and cohort effects in parent-child co-residence among elderly adults in Catalonia

Pilar Zueras, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Introduction: Intergenerational co-residence is still common among elderly people in Southern European countries and especially in Spain, where such proportion is higher. Most studies focused on living arrangements at old age in Spain are driven from a cross-sectional perspective. Aim: This paper examines parent-child co-residence in the transition to old age from a longitudinal perspective in Catalonia, the North-East region of Spain. The main objective is to explore to what extent the high proportion of older people living with children is due to age or cohort effects. Data and methods: The three most recent Spanish censuses (1981, 1991 and 2001) are the data source of this study. Living arrangements are analyzed by observing same cohorts at different stages of their life course. Although such comparison has its constraints, it sheds light on the evolution of living arrangements at old ages. Results: The preliminary findings suggest a decreasing cohort trend in living with children when a longitudinal perspective is applied that smoothes the effect of age. A logistic regression must be set in order to standardize and quantify the age and cohort effects in living arrangements in old age.