Internet Use, Intergenerational Ambivalence, and Subjective Well-Being among Chinese Urban Aging Adults: Do Living Arrangements Matter?

Abstract

Rapid advancements in Internet technology have significantly narrowed the digital divide between generations, transforming the ways in which aging adults establish social networks. Concurrently, rural-to-urban migrations have led to a decrease in the coresidence of aging adults in China. Aging adults living with and without children may differ in their level of reliance on Internet communication, potentially influenced by the geographic distance between generations. This study examined the mediating effects of intergenerational ambivalence on the association between Internet use and subjective well-being among Chinese urban aging adults, particularly considering their living arrangements. Representative survey data were collected from 1,339 participants aged ≥50 years (512 participants lived with their children, and 827 did not) in urban China. Internet use was positively associated with subjective well-being, both directly and indirectly, through intergenerational ambivalence among the entire sample and those not living with their children. Policy interventions should be developed to reduce the digital divide, address intergenerational ambivalence by fostering intergenerational solidarity and affectual closeness as well as mitigating intergenerational conflicts, and improve access to the Internet, particularly for those not living with their children.