Close Social Networks Among Older Adults: The Online and Offline Perspectives

Sofia Gil-Clavel (), Emilio Zagheni and Valeria Bordone
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Sofia Gil-Clavel: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Emilio Zagheni: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Valeria Bordone: University of Vienna

Population Research and Policy Review, 2022, vol. 41, issue 3, No 15, 1135 pages

Abstract: Abstract Qualitative studies have found that the use of Information and Communication Technologies is related to an enhanced quality of life for older adults, as these technologies might act as a medium to access social capital regardless of geographical distance. In order to quantitatively study the association between older people’s characteristics and the likelihood of having a network of close friends offline and online, we use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and data from Facebook. Using a novel approach to analyze aggregated and anonymous Facebook data within a regression framework, we show that the associations between having close friends and age, sex, and being a parent are the same offline and online. Migrants who use internet are less likely to have close friends offline, but migrants who are Facebook users are more likely to have close friends online, suggesting that digital relationships may compensate for the potential lack of offline close friendships among older migrants.

Keywords: Social networks; Social capital; Older people; Social media data; Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s11113-021-09682-3

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