OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between internet use and subjective well-being (SWB) among older Chinese adults across the pre-pandemic, pandemic-affected, and post-restriction periods, and to test whether social participation mediates this relationship; we also assess heterogeneity by age, education, urban-rural status, health, and gender.
METHODS: We analyze four waves of repeated cross-sectional data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023) for respondents aged ≥60. Measures of SWB, internet use, social participation, and covariates are harmonized across waves. Estimates use survey weights, province and year fixed effects, and province-clustered robust inference. Temporal modulation is assessed via internet-use × year interactions. Mediation is evaluated with regression-based decompositions and bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Robustness checks include alternative outcome codings, propensity score matching/weighting, and instrumental-variable specifications based on province-level digital supply proxies and leave-one-out contextual adoption.
RESULTS: (1) Internet use is positively associated with SWB after adjustment, with a larger association in 2021 than in 2017-2018 and a level in 2023 that remains above the pre-pandemic baseline. (2) The association is stronger for subgroups facing tighter offline constraints-rural residence, lower education, and fair/poor health-and is generally larger among the young-old (60-69) than the old-old (70+). (3) Social participation partially mediates the internet-SWB relationship, with a larger indirect component during the pandemic-affected wave; where harmonized, communicative and informational uses show the closest links to higher SWB.
CONCLUSION: Among older Chinese adults, internet use is linked to higher SWB, the relationship strengthens under pandemic constraints, and part of the link operates through social participation. Targeted digital-inclusion efforts-affordable access, age-friendly design, and support for communication, information, and public/health services-may yield disproportionate benefits for rural, less-educated, and health-limited seniors in the post-COVID-19 era.
