Zhiyong Lin, Ph.D.

Zhiyong Lin, Ph.D.

Sociologist/Demographer

Research

My research focuses on the social foundations of health, aging, and caregiving. Using longitudinal and cross-national data, I examine how social relationships, family systems, and care arrangements shape well-being over the life course and in different social contexts.

My research: social relationships and health, care networks and care gaps, and global perspectives on aging and family

Social Relationships and Health Across the Life Course

My research examines how social relationships shape health from early life to later life. I study both the presence and loss of social ties, including family bereavement, social isolation, and unequal access to supportive relationships. A central goal of this work is to understand how social inequality becomes part of people’s health trajectories over time, especially across race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. This line of research shows that social connection is not only a personal experience but also a social condition shaped by broader systems of inequality.

Selected publications

Care Networks and Care Gaps in Aging America

Another major part of my research focuses on how older adults receive care when they experience health or functional limitations. Rather than viewing caregiving as the work of one person, I study care as a network involving spouses, adult children, other relatives, friends, and formal helpers. I am especially interested in when these care networks succeed, when they fall short, and which older adults are most likely to experience unmet care needs. This work highlights care gaps as an important but often overlooked form of inequality in later life.

Selected publications

Global Perspectives on Aging and Family

My research also takes a global and comparative perspective on aging, family, and health. I examine how family relationships and care systems operate in different social and policy contexts, including China, India, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines. This work asks how social connection, caregiving, migration, and family change matter for health across countries. By comparing different societies, my research shows that aging and family life are shaped not only by individual choices but also by culture, institutions, and public policy.

Selected publications