Influence of Sociodemographic and Social Variables on the Relationship between Formal Years of Education and Time Spent on the Internet

Ângela Maria Teixeira Leite (), Ângela Sá Azevedo and Anabela Rodrigues
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Ângela Maria Teixeira Leite: Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal, 4710 Braga, Portugal
Ângela Sá Azevedo: Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal, 4710 Braga, Portugal
Anabela Rodrigues: Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal, 4710 Braga, Portugal

Societies, 2024, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: This study aims to validate the impact of sociodemographic factors and differentiate the influence of social variables on the correlation between the number of years of formal education an individual has and the time they allocate to internet usage. To achieve this, we utilized a publicly available database, extracting relevant indicators for our investigation. Subsequently, we conducted analyses involving associations, regressions, and moderations among the variables under scrutiny. The results revealed statistically significant variations in daily internet usage time across different countries, residences, age groups, educational levels, and marital statuses. Factors such as living in an urban or suburban environment, being in the youth demographic, possessing a higher education, maintaining single status, having an extensive social network, holding a negative perception of health, lacking home internet access but having access at work and on the go, along with the facilitation of online communication and remote work, collectively explain the variance in daily internet usage time. The relationship between the number of years of education and the duration of internet usage is moderated by sociodemographic variables (gender, age, and marital status) as well as social variables (locations of internet usage and social contacts). These findings enable us to identify a user profile at a higher risk of developing problematic behavior in relation to internet usage, as indicated by the time invested.

Keywords: formal years of education; social variables; sociodemographic variables; time spend on the internet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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