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Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being of the Elderly: An Analysis of the Mediating Effect Based on Social Capital

Author

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  • Yang Yang

    (Research Institute of Social Development, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China)

  • Dan Zeng

    (Research Institute of Social Development, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China)

  • Fan Yang

    (Research Institute of Social Development, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China)

Abstract

At present, the Internet has a profound impact on the lifestyle and ideas of the elderly and has an important impact on the subjective well-being of the elderly. Based on the data of 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), 4463 elderly people aged 60 years and above were selected in the empirical research, including 2321 males and 2142 females. The average age was 68.07 (SD = 5.75). The ordinary least square regression (OLS) model was used to test the effect of Internet use on the subjective well-being of the elderly; the structural equation model was used to analyze the influence path of social capital in the process of Internet use affecting the subjective well-being of the elderly, and the Sobel test is used to further verify the mediating effect of social capital. The results indicated the important positive effect of Internet use on the improvement of the subjective well-being of the elderly and confirms the mediating role of social capital in the process of Internet use affecting the subjective well-being of the elderly. Among them, the mediating effects of bonding social capital and bridging social capital accounted for 18.69% and 28.17%, respectively. It can be seen that the mediating effect of bridging social capital is significantly higher than that of bonding social capital. Marital status moderates the latter half of the mediation mechanism of “Internet use–bridging social capital–subjective well-being of the elderly”, that is, “bridging social capital–subjective well-being of the elderly.”

Suggested Citation

  • Yang Yang & Dan Zeng & Fan Yang, 2022. "Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being of the Elderly: An Analysis of the Mediating Effect Based on Social Capital," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12087-:d:923968
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    Cited by:

    1. Wei Chen & Jia Miao, 2023. "Does the Internet Moderate the Neighborhood Effect? Internet Use, Neighborhoods, and Mental Health among Older Adults in Shanghai," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Heng Yang & Jianbin Jin, 2022. "Shared Destiny in the Digital Era: Sensation Seeking, Loneliness, and Excessive Internet Use among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Mainland China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Longjunjiang Huang & Xian Liang & Lishan Li & Hui Xiao & Fangting Xie, 2023. "The Impact of Internet Use on the Well-Being of Rural Residents," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, July.
    4. Christina Sanchita Shah & Supunmali Ahangama, 2023. "A Cross-Country Examination of Internet Penetration and the Economic Participation of Women: The Influence of Social Capital and Gender Equality," IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, , vol. 12(2), pages 182-196, July.

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