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Better educated children, better Internet-connected elderly parents

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  • Lei, Lei
  • Yu, Dandan
  • Zhou, Yang

Abstract

Despite its potential benefits, Internet adoption among older adults has long lagged behind that of younger age groups. This paper examines how adult children’s education affects elderly parents’ Internet use. We exploit the arguably exogenous variation in children’s years of schooling induced by the enforcement of the compulsory education law around 1986 in China. Using a sample of rural older adults from the China Family Panel Studies, we find that one additional year of children’s education increases the probability of parents’ Internet use by 3.4 percentage points. The increase is driven by Internet use via mobile devices rather than computers. Parents with better-educated children are more likely to use the Internet for study, social, and entertainment activities. The subsample analysis shows stronger effects of daughters’ education, and the estimated effects of children’s education are larger for fathers or parents with relatively more education. We also provide suggestive evidence that better cognitive health might help explain the effects of children’s education.

Suggested Citation

  • Lei, Lei & Yu, Dandan & Zhou, Yang, 2023. "Better educated children, better Internet-connected elderly parents," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(4).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:52:y:2023:i:4:s0048733323000276
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104743
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technology adoption; Internet use; Education; Children; Older adults; Rural China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • C26 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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