Abstract
AimThe aim was to explore the various associations between subjective well-being and internet use among older adults in two regions in Finland and Sweden.MethodsThe data was collected through a population-based survey (N = 9,386) as part of the GERDA project conducted in 2016. The connection between subjective well-being (measured by perceived meaningfulness, happiness and life satisfaction) and internet use (distinguishing between internet users, non-users and users with support, and diverse internet activities) was studied by conducting binary regression analyses, calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. The analyses also controlled for key subjective well-being covariates.ResultsStatistically significant associations were found between perceived life meaningfulness and internet use. When looking into the specific internet-based activities under study, activities related to leisure and entertainment showed statistically significant associations to perceived meaningfulness as well as perceived happiness, also after controlling for potential covariates. However, internet use and the different internet activities failed to show statistical significant associations to life satisfaction in the adjusted regression model.ConclusionThe things we do on the internet (the activities) as well as how we conceptualize and measure subjective well-being in this type of research studies seem to matter when it comes to the relationship between subjective well-being and internet use in later life. Internet use and internet activities displayed various connections to the subjective well-being proxies used in this study. Therefore, the complexity and multidimensionality of both subjective well-being and internet use and related links need to be carefully explored in order to deepen our understanding of experienced well-being among older adults in a digitized world.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the spread of the infectious disease related to the newly discovered coronavirus, has raised aging and health as well as digital technology on the global agenda
In a previous study (Viklund et al, 2021) we explored the association between perceived meaningfulness and internet use in later life among older adults in Finland and study was conducted in in Västerbotten (Sweden)
The complexity and multidimensionality of both subjective well-being and internet use and related links need to be carefully explored in order to deepen our understanding of experienced well-being among older adults in a digitized world
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the spread of the infectious disease related to the newly discovered coronavirus, has raised aging and health as well as digital technology on the global agenda. Digital technology has become a cornerstone in the efforts to tackle the virus while we continue to lead our lives in new ways (European Commission, 2021) using online services more frequently than ever before–or even taking the first few steps into cyber space (The Swedish Internet Foundation, 2020). This especially holds true for older persons as a recent survey shows that the majority of the new internet-users in Sweden in 2020 were persons aged 76 years or older (The Swedish Internet Foundation, 2020). Digital technology is an essential part of the society–and correspondingly in our daily lives
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