The recent coronavirus outbreak has captured worldwide attention. This study investigated the anxiety of the Chinese public and its relationship with social support during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby providing empirical support for interventions on improving the public’s mental health. On the basis of an online questionnaire survey conducted on 10–18 February 2020, this study shows that 19.8%, 68.5%, and 11.1% of the respondents suffered mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, and severe anxiety, respectively. Significant differences are reported in state anxiety between people with different household incomes. There are significant differences in trait anxiety and state anxiety between different social support groups. Social support and trait anxiety are negatively correlated. Social support and state anxiety are negatively correlated. Social support affects state anxiety both directly and indirectly (through the mediation of trait anxiety). Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing public support for society can effectively reduce public anxiety.

The rural three-tier healthcare system is an essential part of the Chinese healthcare service system. To ensure rural residents’ equal access to such healthcare services, it is necessary to examine the current status of the healthcare system in rural China and formulate corresponding improvement suggestions. This study therefore collects the data from the China Health Statistics Yearbook, the China Health Yearbook and the China Statistical Yearbook between the years 2004 and 2021 to calculate the Gini coefficient (G), health resource density index (HRDI) and Theil index (T) first, and then perform the Mann–Kendall test afterwards to evaluate the equity of healthcare resource allocation comprehensively. This series of analysis helps in drawing the following conclusions: (1) county and county-level city medical and health institutions (CMHIs) show a higher development trend in comparison with township hospitals (THs) and village clinics (VCs); (2) VCs have higher institutional fairness, while for beds and personnel, CMHIs and THs are more fairly positioned; (3) more specifically for CMHIs and THs, personnel allocation is more fair than beds and institution allocations; (4) the density of healthcare resources in the eastern and central regions is higher than that in the western part, while the intra-regional distribution of beds and personnel in the west and central regions is better than that in the eastern region; (5) intra-regional differences are more significant than inter-regional differences and the fairness according to population distribution is higher than that of geographical area allocation. The results of this study provide theoretical basis for further optimizing the allocation of healthcare resources and improving the fairness of healthcare resources allocation from a macro perspective.

With the rapid rural urbanization and new rural construction in China, tremendous changes are occurring in rural built environments and rural household vehicle ownership. However, few studies have examined the relationship between rural built environments and rural household vehicle ownership. In this study, a questionnaire survey of 374 rural households was conducted and the built environment data of seven typical villages in rural Sichuan were collected using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and on-site measurement. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the rural built environment and rural household vehicle ownership in China through a multinomial logit (MNL) model. Results show that household structure attributes have the most significant relationship with vehicle ownership, followed by rural built environment attributes and the respondents’ driving skills. In the process of urbanization, with increases in building density, road density, and destination accessibility, an increase in high-carbon vehicle ownership is an inevitable trend among rural households. However, low-carbon-oriented rural planning can effectively control the increase in high-carbon vehicle ownership. For example, the distance between rural households and important destinations, such as hospitals, schools, and markets, should be shortened and rural residents should be encouraged to learn to ride bicycles. Moreover, rural residents riding motorcycles can effectively reduce household car ownership.

As the aging population creates mounting pressures on society, the economy, and public health systems, the rational and equitable distribution of elderly care resources becomes increasingly essential. This study applies various methods, such as kernel density estimation, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and Gini coefficient decomposition, to examine provincial panel data on elderly care institutions in both urban and rural regions in China covering the period from 2008 to 2021. This research seeks to assess and improve the accessibility and equity of elderly care resources. The results indicate that the degree of population aging in China has significantly intensified, with urban elderly care institutions’ resource allocation increasing annually and surpassing that of rural institutions. However, inequalities in the allocation of elderly care resources between urban and rural areas, as well as among different regions, still exist. The uneven distribution of resources in rural elderly care institutions, the overall enhancement of resource allocation in urban areas, and the clustering of elderly care resources are the key features observed. Drawing on these insights, the study offers a set of policy recommendations to address the disparities and inconsistencies in the allocation of elderly care resources between urban and rural regions.