Old and Poor: the Case of Elderly Poverty in East Java, Indonesia

Analyses of poverty are rarely disaggregated by age. This paper’s novelty lies in examining poverty rate among older persons, considering individual and household variables. It further examines variables associated with poverty, specifically framing the analyses within the context of economic disparity in the province. Three districts are selected and analyzed separately derived from the 2002 Indonesian National Socio-economic Survey. A formula is used to estimate the rate and severity of poverty. Logistic regression model is used. Our findings suggest that elderly poverty rate varies among the districts with the lowest (5%) occurring in the highly urbanized district of Surabaya, while the rate is much higher in others (22.2% in Pacitan, and 22.8% in Malang). Age, sex, marital status, education, living arrangement, and social participation are significant. Household variables (such as the size of household, asset ownership, and whether the household is the target of poverty alleviation policy) are also significant. In urban area, those living with children are more likely to be poorer than those without children. Yet, in less urbanized areas, those with children are less likely to be poorer than those without children.