Econometric analysis of the factors affecting multidimensional poverty of individuals over the age of 65 in Turkey

In this study, it is aimed to determine the poverty of elderly people living in Turkey in a multidimensional manner and to make suggestions for solutions to elderly poverty, which is thought to become a bigger problem in the coming years. The data of the study, which uses a multidimensional poverty measurement method known as the "Alkire-Foster" method in the literature and evaluates an individual's poverty based on the deprivations he experiences, were obtained from the 2021 Income and Living Conditions Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT). In the analysis, which includes 3 dimensions and 5 sub-indicators per size and a total of 15 sub-indicators, it was determined that the areas where the elderly with a sample size of 8.417 experience the most deprivation are; health problems and limitations in physical activities, living space with insufficient physical conditions, inability to cover the heating costs of the residential building and serious deprivation in nutrition indicators. However, in the study, the total abstinence numbers of the elderly obtained from the Alkire-Foster method were categorized and used as the dependent variable of the econometric model, in which the sequential logit method is preferred. Variables such as income, age, marital status, property status and education, which are thought to affect the poverty status of the elderly, were preferred as independent variables in the sequential logistics model. The economic analysis of the study was carried out with the help of the STATA 13 package program. In the light of the findings obtained, it was determined that married people are 3.7% more likely not to be poor compared to singles/widows, while the probability of being poor and extremely poor is 3.4% and 0.036% lower respectively. Another important result obtained from the analysis is that the increase in the income of the elderly increases the probability of not being poor by 14.6%, while reducing the probability of being poor and extremely poor. In addition, when the education levels were examined, it was found that the elderly who were educated in primary school and above were more likely not to be poor than those who did not have any level of education. It is expected that these results obtained will guide the policies to be developed in order to prevent elderly poverty, which is expected to become a bigger problem with the increasing elderly population in the future, and the studies to be conducted on elderly poverty.