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Special Feature

The Effects of the Internet on Well-being Among Older Adults Ageing in Place: The Roles of Subjective Income and Social Trust

Jiansong Zheng and Tao Zhang
p. 43-55

Abstract

The rapid construction of electronic infrastructure in China has accelerated and promoted the application of the Internet, which improves the quality of life of older adults especially when they choose to age in place. However, it remains unclear how the Internet impacts the well-being of older adults, particularly in China. Based on China Family Panel Studies over the four periods of 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020, panel models and mediation analysis were employed to explore the effects of two dimensions of the Internet, including internet perceptions (perceived importance of the Internet for information retrieval) and internet use, on the well-being of older adults in China. The results showed that (1) the internet perceptions of older adults significantly and positively predicted their subjective well-being; (2) the higher levels of older adults’ internet perceptions were related to the higher degrees of their subjective income and social trust, which in turn promoted their subjective well-being; (3) older adults’ internet use significantly improved their subjective well-being; (4) older netizens with lower levels of subjective income tended to have higher levels of subjective well-being, while social trust did not play a mediating role in the association between internet use and subjective well-being among China’s older adults. The internet perceptions and internet use of older adults exhibited consistent positive effects on their well-being, but there are differences in their mediating mechanisms. Therefore, it is necessary to transform digital services into more age-friendly modules and optimise the internet environment for older adults.

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Editor’s notes

Manuscript received on 30 November 2022. Accepted on 28 July 2023.

Excerpt

Full text document will be published online on September 2024.

Outline

Introduction
Literature reviews and theoretical hypothesis
Older adults’ internet perceptions and internet use
Internet perceptions and well-being among older adults
Internet use and well-being among older adults
Methodology
Data
Variables
(1) Dependent variables
(2) Independent variables
(3) Mediating variables
(4) Control variables
Modelling
Results
Descriptive statistics
Associations between internet perceptions and use among older adults in China
Baseline panel model results
Test results for mediating effects
Robustness check
Discussion
Conclusion

First lines

Introduction

The ageing population is surging in China, and older adults’ well-being deserves attention (Heo et al. 2015: 268; Hofer et al. 2019: 4426; Ollevier et al. 2020: 2). Internet construction has greatly improved in China, and this has influenced the lives of elderly people (Arthanat, Chang, and Wilcox 2020: 74; Li, Han, and Hu 2022: 910). However, the effects of the Internet on the well-being of older adults remain unclear. A number of studies have focused on the mixed impacts of internet use on the well-being of older adults (Choi and DiNitto 2013: 2-3; Hong and Cho 2017: 856-7; Hunsaker and Hargittai 2018: 3937-8; Khalaila and Vitman-Schorr 2018: 479-80; Hofer et al. 2019: 4427-8; Duplaga 2021: 2). Nevertheless, the effects of the internet environment on older adults have been ignored in previous literature. Immersed in the circumstances of the Internet of Things (IoT) and widespread internet education in China, older adults are beginning to perceive the importance of inte...

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References

Bibliographical reference

Jiansong Zheng and Tao Zhang, The Effects of the Internet on Well-being Among Older Adults Ageing in Place: The Roles of Subjective Income and Social TrustChina Perspectives, 134 | 2023, 43-55.

Electronic reference

Jiansong Zheng and Tao Zhang, The Effects of the Internet on Well-being Among Older Adults Ageing in Place: The Roles of Subjective Income and Social TrustChina Perspectives [Online], 134 | 2023, Online since 01 September 2024, connection on 06 December 2023. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/15773; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/chinaperspectives.15773

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About the authors

Jiansong Zheng

Jiansong Zheng is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, B11 Office, Magnificent Court, Macao (janson6868@163.com).

Tao Zhang

Tao Zhang (corresponding author) is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, B11 Office, Magnificent Court, Macao (taozhang@mpu.edu.mo).

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Copyright

The text and other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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