Empirical research on the acceptance of digital finance and consumption patterns among middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas: The impact mechanism of life satisfaction and income level

Tifeng Liu, Guoqing Shi, Fei Gu and Junzhuo Xu

Finance Research Letters, 2025, vol. 79, issue C

Abstract: This paper delves into the intricate interplay between population aging and digital adoption, focusing on its impact on consumption patterns among rural middle-aged and elderly populations. Utilizing a robust dataset from the CHARLES survey spanning 2015 to 2021, our empirical analysis reveals a notable positive correlation between the aging process and consumption levels within this demographic. Furthermore, we uncover that increased Internet usage acts as a catalyst, significantly boosting consumption among rural middle-aged and elderly individuals. Life satisfaction is identified as a crucial factor mediating the relationship between Internet usage and consumption, highlighting its importance in understanding this dynamic. Additionally, our findings indicate that the positive effect of population aging on consumption is more pronounced in high-income households. Household income level is also found to positively moderate the link between Internet usage and consumption, suggesting that higher incomes amplify the beneficial impact of digital adoption. By shedding light on these underlying mechanisms, our research contributes valuable insights to the understanding of contemporary rural socio-economic trends and provides a solid groundwork for the formulation of targeted rural consumption policies.

Keywords: Population aging; Internet use; Rural consumption of middle-aged and older adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612325005458
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:finlet:v:79:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325005458

DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.107282

Access Statistics for this article

Finance Research Letters is currently edited by R. Gençay

More articles in Finance Research Letters from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().