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Does Internet Use Promote Subjective Well-Being? Evidence from the Different Age Groups Based on CGSS 2017 Data

Author

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  • Yurong Yan

    (School of Journalism and Communication, Northwest University of Political Science and Law, Xi’an 710122, China)

  • Yuying Deng

    (Department of Sociology and Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain)

  • Juan-José Igartua

    (Department of Sociology and Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain)

  • Xiagang Song

    (School of Law, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China)

Abstract

Mobile Internet technology has developed so rapidly that the Internet has become indispensable in everyday life. There is a continuous debate about the relationship between internet use and subjective well-being. In contrast to observing whether one has Internet access, this paper focuses on three dimensions of Internet usage: frequency of use, online relationship size, and Internet proficiency. Based on the Chinese nationwide data collected in 2017, the results of the ordinary least squares regression model demonstrate that Internet use has a significant positive association with subjective well-being. In addition, this study also discovers that the effect of Internet use on the subjective well-being of individuals of different ages is heterogeneous; middle-aged individuals benefit from more frequent Internet use and larger-scale networks; the young and older adults benefit from organizing communication in groups. The results of this study can provide targeted suggestions for improving the subjective well-being of different age groups in Internet use.

Suggested Citation

  • Yurong Yan & Yuying Deng & Juan-José Igartua & Xiagang Song, 2023. "Does Internet Use Promote Subjective Well-Being? Evidence from the Different Age Groups Based on CGSS 2017 Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-14, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:2897-:d:1060260
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