{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T22:06:32Z","timestamp":1783029992816,"version":"3.54.6"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,19]],"date-time":"2025-08-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755561600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper examines the subjective well-being of older adults in China. Based on data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS2021), the agreement levels of 21 questions on the subjective well-being of older adults were extracted and analyzed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The 21 questions were categorized into positive and negative factors based on cluster analysis. For the 10 positive factors, the information entropy method was used to determine their weights and calculate the happiness scores of older adults. For the 11 negative factors, the unhappiness scores of older adults were calculated by the confirmatory factor analysis and analytic hierarchy process.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>An average happiness score of 4.499 was obtained, of which the more influential factors were family income, personality control, and the natural environment. An average score of 3.062 was obtained, among them, the more influential factors are health status, family communication and body parts.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions and recommendations<\/jats:title><jats:p>Overall, it shows that the subjective happiness of the Chinese older adults is strong and unhappiness is weak. Then we further find significant differences in the above scores of older adults with different socioeconomic status through one-way ANOVA. Based on the results of the study, we finally proposed targeted recommendations to improve the happiness feelings of older adults, including encouraging communication with family members and improving body parts.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1585408","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,19]],"date-time":"2025-08-19T04:51:47Z","timestamp":1755579107000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Investigation into the subjective well-being of older adults via confirmatory factor analysis and analytic hierarchy process\u2014an empirical analysis based on CGSS2021 data"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Yingying","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tianrui","family":"Cai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruiqin","family":"Tian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","first-page":"4","article-title":"The main data situation of the seventh national population census","author":"Ning","year":"2021","journal-title":"China Statistics"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.3969\/j.issn.1000-2456.2011.05.005","article-title":"Development trend of population aging in China and its strategic response","volume":"50","author":"Mu","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Huazhong Norm Univ Hum Soc Sci."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4853","DOI":"10.3969\/j.issn.1005-9202.2012.21.133","article-title":"Analysis of the current situation of population aging in China","volume":"32","author":"Huang","year":"2012","journal-title":"Chin J Gerontol"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.psych.54.101601.145056","article-title":"Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: emotional and cognitive evaluations of life","volume":"54","author":"Diener","year":"2003","journal-title":"Annu Rev Psychol"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.1007\/s12062-016-9148-0","article-title":"Subjective well-being across the lifespan in Europe and Central Asia","volume":"10","author":"Bauer","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Popul Ageing"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"431","DOI":"10.2224\/sbp.2003.31.5.431","article-title":"Gratitude and happiness: development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective well-being","volume":"31","author":"Watkins","year":"2003","journal-title":"Soc Behav Pers"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.15992\/j.cnki.31-1123\/c.2013.05.009","article-title":"Income and happiness of Chinese urban residents: based on the data of the 2005 Chinese general social survey","volume":"33","author":"Huang","year":"2013","journal-title":"Society"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e21528","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2023.e21528","article-title":"The impact of internet use in the digital age on the subjective well-being of older adults -- an empirical study based on CGSS2021 data","volume":"9","author":"Jin","year":"2023","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1151","DOI":"10.3724\/SP.J.1041.2018.01151","article-title":"The mediating effects of hope and loneliness on the relationship between social support and social well-being in the elderly","volume":"50","author":"Yao","year":"2018","journal-title":"Acta Psychol Sin"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106725","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2021.106725","article-title":"Internet use and Chinese older adults\u2019 subjective well-being (SWB): the role of parent - 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