Digital Villages Construction and Subjective Well-being of the Elderly: Evidence from China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey

The overlapping digitalization and population aging draw attention to the older population’s subjective well-being (SWB) in the digital age. Drawing data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, this study investigates the impact of digital villages construction on the elderly’s SWB. The results indicate that digital villages construction can improve the SWB of older adults significantly, including self-reported health, mental health, life satisfaction, and social adaptation. Moreover, the SWB improving effect on the elderly is even more pronounced among the advanced aged, the uneducated, and the non-users of the internet, reflecting the inclusiveness of China’s digital villages construction. Furthermore, the mechanism test shows that the SWB of older persons is improved through strengthening social capital. Based on the findings, this study suggests developing incentives to encourage investment to strengthen rural digital infrastructure, utilize rural social networks to enhance the social capital of older persons, and provide targeted digital skills training to improve the digital adoption of the older population. Concurrently, it is imperative to safeguard the continued provision of traditional non-digital services to enhance the digital environment’s inclusivity.