To analyze the willingness of elderly individuals from a certain community to choose different retirement care methods and factors influencing this in the community-embedded elderly care service complex.

Stratified variable ratio sampling was used to select 500 elderly people from a certain community in Guangzhou. A self-developed questionnaire regarding willingness to choose retirement care in the community-embedded elderly care service complex was administered. Data were analyzed by multi-category logistic regression analysis.

Among the services involved in the community-embedded elderly care service complex, 57.6%, 31.2%, and 11.2% of the elderly selected family, community home, and institution care, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that seniors with college degrees or above (OR=2.514), who were cared for by family (OR=3.345), with a monthly income of 3 000-5 000 yuan (OR=1.891), with monthly pension payments of 1 000-3 000 yuan (OR=2.572), or with average health status (OR=3.716) were more willing to choose community based retirement services (all P<0.05). Meanwhile, seniors with a better occupation before retirement (OR=9.813), a monthly income of 3 000-5 000 yuan (OR=3.222), monthly pension payment above 3 000 yuan (OR=6.902), poor health status (OR=1.000), or who were unattended (OR=4.386) were more inclined to choose community institution care (all P<0.05).

The elderly still rely mainly on family based retirement life, but their willingness to use socialized retirement is more prevalent. Educational level, occupation, economic status, caregivers, and health status are the main factors affecting the elderly′s choice of different pension methods in the community-embedded elderly care service complex.

Community; Aged; Services for the aged; Senior centers; Factor analysis, statistics