Chen Xin, a doctoral candidate at the Social Security Research Center of Wuhan University, wrote a paper entitled "Research on the Impact and Differences of Internet Use on the Social Isolation of the Elderly", which has been accepted by Contemporary Economic Management and published on CNKI.

【author】Chen Xin

【Published journals】《当代经济管理》

【Journal level】CSSCI(extended)

【Online first release time】June 4, 2020

【Abstract】Based on the data of the 2018 China Family Panel Survey (CFPS), this paper explores the effect, difference and heterogeneity of Internet use on the social isolation of the elderly. The study found that Internet use reduced social isolation among older adults by 40.5% and passed the robustness test; The impact of perceived usefulness of different types of Internet use on social isolation among older adults varies. Learning, entertainment, socializing, and information acquisition had a significant reducing effect on the social isolation of the elderly, while the impact of commercial activities was not significant. There is heterogeneity in the impact of Internet use on the social isolation of the elderly of different ages and education levels, among which the impact of Internet use on the social isolation of the elderly with middle-aged and elderly, junior high school and above education level is greater. Based on this, it is proposed to continue to promote the popularization rate of Internet use among the elderly, focus on promoting the construction of Internet infrastructure in rural and underdeveloped areas, and provide targeted Internet skills training and other policy recommendations.

【Keywords】Internet use; social isolation; senior citizen

【Funds】Research on Population Aging and the Construction of Pension Service System, Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education (16JJD840009).