Table 1 Characteristics of the study sample in the China family panel studies 2016, 2018,2020

Dependent variable

 Subjective Wellbeing

3.878

0.950

3.920

0.945

3.845

0.953

***

Care variables

 Informal caregiving

0.442

0.496

1

0

0

0

Frequency of care

 -No care provided (Ref)

0.558

0.496

0

0

1

0

 -Low-frequency of care

0.284

0.450

0.642

0.479

0

0

 -High-frequency of care

0.158

0.364

0.358

0.479

0

0

Demographic and socioeconomic variables

 Age (16–59)

37.576

10.964

38.765

11.167

36.637

10.707

***

 Female

0.432

0.495

0.411

0.492

0.449

0.497

***

 Married

0.748

0.433

0.750

0.432

0.746

0.435

 Urban

0.526

0.499

0.498

0.500

0.549

0.497

***

 Having Medical insurance

0.896

0.304

0.906

0.290

0.888

0.314

***

Education

 -Primary or less (Ref.)

0.280

0.448

0.292

0.454

0.270

0.443

***

 -Secondary school

0.500

0.500

0.507

0.499

0.494

0.499

*

 -College or more

0.220

0414

0.201

0.400

0.236

0.424

***

Working status

0.868

0.338

0.874

0.331

0.863

0.343

**

Log of income per capita

8.589

3.189

8.416

3.217

8.726

3.160

***

Having Chronic diseases

0.097

0.296

0.107

0.309

0.089

0.285

***

Smoking

0.334

0.471

0.362

0.480

0.312

0.463

***

Drinking

0.147

0.354

0.158

0.364

0.138

0.345

***

Household variables

 Living with parents

0.958

0.198

0.968

0.174

0.951

0.215

***

 Having children

0.000

0.020

0.000

0.021

0.000

0.019

 Household size

4.237

2.103

4.466

2.009

4.056

2.156

***

 One of the parents still alive

0.268

0.442

0.329

0.469

0.219

0.413

***

Mechanism variables

 Depression

5.521

3.812

5.545

3.779

5.502

3.839

 Log of wage income

5.331

5.342

4.993

5.296

5.598

5.364

 Leisure time

8.900

9.279

8.947

9.169

8.863

9.364

 Sleep time

7.770

1.301

7.758

1.300

7.779

1.301

***

 Number of observations

19,264

8,503

10,761