Peer-reviewed article
Household income and child well-being in Japan: The role of grandparental coresidence and residential proximity
Jia Wang, James M. Raymo ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how household income affects child well-being in Japan, and whether living with or near grandparents changes this relationship. Higher household income was associated with better child well-being, particularly for cognitive skills like math and reading. However, children from both lower- and higher-income families who lived with grandparents had lower test scores than those living at a distance from grandparents. The income gap in academic performance was smaller when grandparents coresided with the family compared to when they lived farther away.
Key points
- Household income is positively associated with multiple dimensions of child well-being, strongest for cognitive skills
- Children from lower-income families were more likely to coreside with grandparents than those from middle- and higher-income families
- Children in both lower- and higher-income families who coresided with grandparents had lower math and Japanese test scores than those living at a distance
- Multigenerational coresidence was associated with worse cognitive outcomes across Japan, urban China, and the US
- The income gradient in academic performance is largest in the US and smallest in urban China, with Japan in the middle
Limitations
The study is observational and cannot determine causation—it is unclear whether coresidence with grandparents causes lower test scores or whether other unmeasured factors explain this association. The findings are based on Japanese data and may not generalise to other cultural or economic contexts.
Abstract
In this study, we examined whether and how the income gradient in child well-being may vary by grandparental coresidence and proximate residence in Japan, a country characterized by a high prevalence of intergenerational proximity and intensive family investment in children’s development. Using data from the Japan Child Panel Survey, we first demonstrated that household income is positively associated with multiple dimensions of children’s well-being, a relationship that was particularly strong for cognitive skills. We also found that children from lower-income families were more likely to coreside with grandparents than their counterparts from middle- and higher-income families, and that children from both lower- and higher-income families had similar likelihoods of living near their grandparents. However, children in lower- and higher-income families who coresided with grandparents had lower math and Japanese test scores than those living at a distance. These relationships resulted in smaller income gradients in test scores for children coresiding with grandparents and near their grandparents, relative to those whose grandparents lived farther away. International comparisons showed that the income gradient in children’s academic performance is largest in the US and smallest in urban China, with Japan being in the middle, and that multigenerational coresidence is generally associated with worse cognitive outcomes for children in both lower- and higher-income families across these three very different contexts. These findings provide new insights into the complex ways in which intergenerational proximity is related to economic disparities in children’s well-being.