Abstract
Internet access has been shown to play an important developmental role and Internet access to all people has become an international goal. This is also true for South Africa where the ‘South Africa Connect’ policy was introduced in 2013. The question arises whether Internet access goes beyond meeting developmental goals to improving the subjective well-being of people. Furthermore, if the association between Internet access and subjective well-being vary between different race and age groups. Previous research was performed in developed countries at a national level or for specific small subsamples, like the elderly; however, this study contributes to the literature by analysing a substantial sample, at sub-national level, in a heterogeneous, unequal society, in a developing country. The benefit is that heterogeneities masked in studies at a national, macro level are highlighted in a study at a sub-national, micro level. This article investigated the relationship between subjective well-being and Internet access within a developing region with a heterogeneous, unequal society. The article used a data set representative of the Gauteng population, the economic centre of South Africa, which was collected in 2013 by the Gauteng City Region Observatory. To analyse the data, ordered probit, ordinary least square and instrumental variable regression techniques were used. The results show that Internet access is positively related to subjective well-being and this relationship holds across all race groups and all age groups, from 18 years to over 65 years of age. In addition, it seems that the stark inequalities between race groups present in South Africa are fading among younger generations. Based on the results, the ‘South Africa Connect’ policy, which aims to give Internet access to all people, including those in Gauteng, the region analysed, is supported, as it not only contributes to the development of the region but also to the life satisfaction of the citizens.
Highlights
This article examines the association between modern information and telecommunication technologies (ICTs), in particular the Internet and subjective well-being
Based on the knowledge that ICT, and Internet access, enhances development, many high-profile initiatives have been undertaken to increase awareness of the benefits of ICT investment and to promote policy measures for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure- and the diffusion of ICT. Notable examples of these projects include the Digital Opportunities Task Force (DOT Force) (G-8 2000) of the Eight Industrialised Countries (G-8), the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Digital Divide Initiative (GDDI) (2002) and the World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) established by the International Federation of Information Processing (2003), the establishment of the United Nations ICT Task Force (2001a), which to developing countries has a broader legitimisation than other initiatives
I only report the results on the Internet accessed variable, whereas the results on the Internet home variable are reported in Appendix 1
Summary
This article examines the association between modern information and telecommunication technologies (ICTs), in particular the Internet and subjective well-being. Based on the knowledge that ICT, and Internet access, enhances development, many high-profile initiatives have been undertaken to increase awareness of the benefits of ICT investment and to promote policy measures for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure- and the diffusion of ICT Notable examples of these projects include the Digital Opportunities Task Force (DOT Force) (G-8 2000) of the Eight Industrialised Countries (G-8), the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Digital Divide Initiative (GDDI) (2002) and the World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) established by the International Federation of Information Processing (2003), the establishment of the United Nations ICT Task Force (2001a), which to developing countries has a broader legitimisation than other initiatives
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