Demography and Human Ecology: Research on Regional Difference in Aging of Population in China

The human community could be viewed as demographic, geographic, or ecological, depending on the orientation and goals of the investigation. If concern was with the human community as a population aggregate, the community would be delineated demographically. Human ecology embodies fundamental ideas including biotype, habitat, community, biocenosis, ecosystem, biomass, interchange and equilibrium, and circulation of energy. In this paper the traditional multi-index panel data clustering analysis was improved by CRITIC method on the basis of human ecology and demography principles. The spatial distribution and evolution trend of aging of population in China were discussed by modeling based on aging data from 2009 to 2015. Research results demonstrated that China has entered into the aging stage comprehensively. Significant differences of aging levels were observed under five different aging types. Generally, the east China with developed economy showed higher aging level. However, the aging speed was similar under different aging types during the accelerated aging progress. All provinces in China were suffering accelerated aging trend regardless of different aging levels. Tianjin, Jiangsu, Chongqing and Sichuan were clustered together for high aging levels and aging speed. However, these provinces must have different causes of aging due to differences in economic, political, regional and cultural developments. Therefore, differentiation countermeasures against the intensifying aging trend shall be formulated to different provinces.