Does the Internet Moderate the Neighborhood Effect? Internet Use, Neighborhoods, and Mental Health among Older Adults in Shanghai

Wei Chen and Jia Miao ()
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Wei Chen: School of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Jia Miao: Center for Applied Social and Economic Research (CASER), NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200126, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Internet use may reduce the impact of the neighborhood on residents’ well-being by helping people utilize resources beyond their immediate neighborhoods or strengthen neighborhood influences by widening the digital divide across neighborhoods. This study investigates how internet use moderates neighborhood effects on mental health among older adults in Shanghai. Using data from the Shanghai Urban Neighborhood Survey (SUNS) and population census, hierarchical linear models reveal that older adults who more frequently use the internet report lower levels of mental distress. Internet use attenuates the negative effects of living in low-socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods. We also examine the roles of three types of internet use: social networking, leisure, and information seeking. The results show that only social networking and leisure internet use are significantly associated with improved mental health among older adults. The results suggest that social programs are needed to increase internet literacy among older adults to promote active aging, and priority should be given to relatively disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Keywords: neighborhood effects; internet use; digital divide; mental health; older adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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