Nowadays, it is a general trend for China to enter a deep aging society, and the aging situation of the rural population is particularly severe. As informal endogenous resources in rural areas, social networks play an essential role in ensuring elders’ later life. Data were drawn from a questionnaire survey of 1126 rural elders in 11 provinces of China. Descriptive statistics and an ordinary least square regression model were conducted to explore the impact of social networks on the perception of old-age support risks of rural elders. There was a significant positive association between the social network size and the reduction in perception of old-age support risks of rural elders. The reduction effect was mainly reflected in the internal network size, whereas it was not evident in the external network size. There was a significant positive association between the heterogeneity of the network and the perceived level of old-age support risks of rural elders. There was a significant positive association between the communication frequency of external network relationships and the perceived level of old-age support risks of rural elders. We found a significant negative association between the ratio of communication frequency between the internal and external network relationships and the perception of old-age support risks of rural elders. Compared with the external network, the internal network had a more evident reduction effect on the social network mechanism of perception of old-age support risks of rural elders.

Due to the immature formal care system, social networks have provided a new way to solve the support dilemma for Chinese rural elders. With few studies exploring social networks from a multi-dimensional perspective, this study aimed to comprehensively explore the characteristics and associated factors of rural elders’ social networks in China. Data were drawn from a national survey of 1126 rural elders in China. An Ordinary Least Squares linear regression model was used to analyze the factors associated with network size, network heterogeneity, and network strength (the weak link strength). The results showed that rural elders’ social networks in China presented the characteristics with a smaller size, lower heterogeneity, and weaker strength of “the weak link” (that is, the tendency to associate with external network members). Individual factors, family factors, and community factors, especially income, marital status, and number of children, were important influencing factors of characteristics of China’s rural elders’ social networks. These findings highlighted the importance of family, children, and formal support in rural China, offering implications for policy-making and service delivery. More attention should be paid to the relevant factors to enrich the social networks of rural elders and to ensure their happy lives in later years.

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