The impact of internet use on the subjective well-being of the elderly: New evidence from the China Family Panel Studies

Abstract

Abstract With the widespread availability of 5G technology in China, the internet has deeply affected the lives of the elderly. This research analyzes the impact of internet use on subjective well-being (SWB) of the elderly using the latest 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data through machine learning (ML) techniques and traditional regression models. (1) Machine learning findings indicate that the factors order of importance from strong to weak is the internet as an information channel, contact with family and friends, and work, leisure and entertainment, daily life and using WeChat, watching online short videos and learning. (2) Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression results show the internet for daily life and watching short-form videos have a significant negative effect on the SWB of the elderly. (3) XGBoost with determination coefficients (R2) greater than 0.86 is significantly outperformed the OLS with determination coefficients of 0.35 in full sample sets. This work proves that the combination of machine learning and traditional regression methods can both take advantage of the interpretability of machine learning and reveal factors contributions through traditional regression models, having the ability to mine emerging and potential factors. Our research shows that continuously strengthening the digital construction of the elderly, promoting the digital literacy and skills cultivation of the elderly, and enhancing the sense of participation and happiness of the elderly can help improve the active digital aging of the elderly.