China, Japan and South Korea have been in the news media spotlight lately for controversial historical issues, yet a new survey shows that these three nations share one key concern in common: an aging population.

A Pew Research Center poll finds while public opinion on whether a growing number of old people is a problem varies dramatically around the world, such concerns peak in East Asia, where nearly 9-in-10 Japanese, 8-in-10 South Koreans and 7-in-10 Chinese describe aging as a major problem for their country.

The finding comes at a time when the global population of people aged 65 and older is expected to triple to 1.5 billion by 2050 from 530.5 million in 2010.

Trailing the three East Asian countries, Europeans also display a relatively high-level of concern with aging, with more than half of the public in Germany and Spain saying that it is a major problem. Americans, on the other hand, are among the least concerned, with only a quarter expressing concern.

The Pew survey also finds a great divergence in people's confidence that they will have an adequate standard of living in their old age.

"Confidence in one's standard of living in old age appears to be related to the rate at which a country is aging and its economic vitality," the report said.

In this sense, confidence is lowest in Japan, where economic growth has been anemic in recent years and only 32 percent say they are very confident or somewhat confident.

Meanwhile, China, which has enjoyed rapid economic growth over the past three decades, showed extremely higher confidence among its people, with 79 percent saying they are either very confident or somewhat confident.

Rising standards of living following the rapid economic development of the past three decades are believed to contribute to China's overall life expectancy from 68 in 1981 to 74 in 2013, which is still below 79 in the US and 84 in Japan.

On the issue of who should take care of the elderly, the Pew survey finds that 47 percent of Chinese say government, 20 percent believe it's a family's responsibility and 9 percent say it's up to the individuals themselves.

The Pew survey said the aging of populations does raise concerns at many levels for governments around the world, over the possibility that a shrinking proportion of working-age people (aged 15 to 64) in the population may lead to economic slowdown. The smaller working-age population must also support a growing number of elderly dependents.

The graying population will also fuel demands for changes in public investments, the report said, citing China's relaxation of its family planning policy in November 2013.

China entered the aging society category in 2001 when people aged 65 and older accounted for 7 percent of the total population. That percentage reached 8.87 percent in the 2010 census. It is projected to reach 12 percent by 2029 and 25 percent by 2050.

Li Wei, head of the Development Research Center under the State Council, said in a recent meeting that China faces grave challenges of an aging population.

Besides a huge aging population, China has also become old before it becomes rich, according to Li.

China's per capita GDP of $6,000, a much lower figure compared with developed countries, makes it less capable of tackling many of the challenges posed by an aging population.

Meanwhile, China's fast growing median age of workforce - from 30 in 1980 to 37 in 2010 and to a projected 40 in 2025-and its shrinking working population is set to weaken the population dividends China has been reaping for the past decades, according to Li.

An incomplete social security system, lack of medical resources, nursing homes and other facilities for seniors has become a frequent source of complaints in the country.

Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, said China needs to change the priority of its healthcare system from treatment to prevention. "Grassroots healthcare institutions should strengthen guidance and services to senior people over chronic diseases," he said.

Meanwhile, Huang said China should bolster the nation's productivity by making significant investment in health, education and training programs. "In order to mitigate the economic effect of aging, China should make sure the talents of seven million college graduates who have graduated over the past decade are not squandered," he said, clearly referring to the many college graduates still struggling to find a job.

Huang also called for bolstering women, especially urban women's labor participation, saying that the entrenched gender gap discourages women from joining the workforce while they are still young.

"New laws should be introduced and enforced against discrimination against women in hiring and compensation," Huang said.

In Huang's view, China should be more flexible toward the retirement age, which is as low as 60 for men and 45 for women.

Huang believes eradicating the "one-child policy", or widely known in China as "population control" policy, is helpful. "It won't solve the problem of aging in the short term, but could relieve the high level of aging 20 years from now on," he said.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 02/04/2014 page1)