Internet use and subjective well-being among older Chinese: Evidence from repeated cross-sections before and after COVID-19 (CGSS 2017–2023)

Oct 25, 2025Acta psychologica

Internet use and personal well-being in older Chinese adults before and after COVID-19 (2017-2023)

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Abstract

Internet use is positively associated with subjective well-being (SWB) among older Chinese adults, with a stronger correlation observed in 2021 compared to 2017-2018.

The positive association between internet use and SWB is notably greater during pandemic conditions compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Subgroups with tighter offline constraints—such as those living in rural areas, having lower education, or reporting fair/poor health—exhibit a stronger relationship between internet use and SWB.
Younger older adults (ages 60-69) tend to show a larger positive association with SWB from internet use than older adults (ages 70 and above).
Social participation is identified as a partial mediator of the relationship between internet use and SWB, particularly heightened during the pandemic.
Communicative and informational uses of the internet are most closely associated with higher levels of SWB.

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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.

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Internet use and subjective well-being among older Chinese: Evidence from repeated cross-sections before and after COVID-19 (CGSS 2017–2023)

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