Lelkes, Orsolya (2012): Happier and less isolated: internet use in old age.
Download (305kB) | Preview
This paper explores the impact of internet use in old age on social isolation and on subjective well-being. Does internet use make older people less or more lonely? Does it crowd out face-to-face contacts or enhance them? We found that social isolation is lower among internet users aged 65 or over. Using a European multi-country cross-sectional dataset with over 11000 observations, we found that those who use the internet regularly have a lower chance of being isolated, more so for those who use the internet every day, controlling for personal characteristics such as income, marital status, gender and health condition. Thus, personal social meetings and virtual contacts are complementary, rather than substituting for each other. Internet use may be a useful way of reducing social isolation. We also found a positive relationship between regular internet use and self-reported life satisfaction, all else being equal. Our findings were robust in alternative specifications as well.
|Item Type:||MPRA Paper|
|Original Title:||Happier and less isolated: internet use in old age|
|Keywords:||Social isolation, loneliness, internet use, old age, happiness|
|Subjects:||I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I31 - General Welfare
Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology > Z13 - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Social and Economic Stratification
|Depositing User:||Orsolya Lelkes|
|Date Deposited:||11. Dec 2012 12:52|
|Last Modified:||12. Feb 2013 13:04|
Becchetti, L., A. Pelloni and F. Rossetti (2008). "Relational Goods, Sociability, and Happiness." Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell 61(3): 343-363. Benesch, C., B. S. Frey and A. Stutzer (2010). "TV Channels, Self-Control and Happiness." The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy 10(1): Article 86. Berkman, L. F. and T. Glass (2000). Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. Social Epidemiology. L. F. Berkman and I. Kawachi. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Blanchflower, D. G. and A. Oswald (2008). "Is Well-being U-Shaped over the life cycle?" Social Science & Medicine 66(8): 1733-1749. Bruni, L. and L. Stanca (2008). "Watching alone: Relational goods, television and happiness." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 65(3-4): 506-528. Chartered Institute for IT (2010). The Information Dividend: Can IT make you 'happier'? London, Chartered Institute for IT Cornwell, E. Y. and L. J. Waite (2009). "Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation, and Health among Older Adults." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 50(1): 31-48. Diener, E. and R. A. Emmons (1985). "The independence of positive and negative affect." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 47: 1105-1117. Ford, G. S. and S. G. Ford (2009). Internet Use and Depression Among the Elderly, Phoenix Center Policy Paper No. 38. Frijters, P. and T. Beatton (2012). "The mystery of the U-shaped relationship between happiness and age " Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 82(2-3): 525-542. Helliwell, J. F. (2006). "Well-Being, Social Capital and Public Policy: What's New?" The Economic Journal 116(510): C34-C45. Kavetsos, G. and P. Koutroumpis (2011). "Technological affluence and subjective well-being." Journal of economic psychology 32(5): 742-753. Ko, C.-H., J.-Y. Yen, C.-F. Yen, C.-S. Chen and C.-C. Chen (2012). "The association between Internet addiction and psychiatric disorder: A review of the literature." European Psychiatry 27(1): 1-8. Lelkes, O. (2007). Happiness over the Life-Cycle. Exploring Age-specific Preferences. Mainstreaming Ageing. Indicators to Monitor Sustainable Policies. B. Marin and A. Zaidi. Aldershot, Ashgate: 359-391. Lelkes, O. (2010). Social participation and social isolation. Income and living conditions in Europe. Eurostat Statistical books. A. B. Atkinson and E. Marlier. Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union: 217-240. Pénard, T., N. Poussing and R. Suire (2011). Does the Internet make people happier?, CEPS/INSTEAD Working Paper Series 2011-41. Rohwedder, S. and R. J. Willis (2010). "Mental Retirement." Journal of Economic Perspectives 24(1): 119-38. Sarracino, F. (2010). "Social capital and subjective well-being trends: Comparing 11 western European countries " Journal of Socio-Economics 39(4): 482-517. Spitzer, M. (2012). Digitale Demenz: Wie wir uns und unsere Kinder um den Verstand bringen. München, Droemer Knaur. Stiglitz, J. E., A. Sen and J.-P. Fitoussi (2009). Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress. www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr.