Does Smartphone Use Affect Attitudes Toward Aging Among Older Adults in Rural Areas? An Empirical Analysis Using Data from the Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey

Abstract

Fostering positive attitudes toward aging among older adults serves as a key measure of success in promoting active aging. Based on microdata from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey in 2018, this study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) and the two-stage least squares (2SLS) to evaluate the impact of smartphone use on the attitudes toward aging among older adults in rural areas. The results show that smartphone use significantly relieves older adults’ negative attitudes toward aging, with effects persisting even after employing robust estimations and instrumental variable techniques to address endogeneity concerns. These results emphasize the need to improve rural internet infrastructure and to promote both smartphone access and literacy among older adults in rural China to amplify these positive effects.

Keywords

• smartphone use
• rural older adults
• attitudes toward aging
• active aging