The Impact of the Digital Divide on Elderly Health Consumption: An Empirical Study Based on CFPS Data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/rhn8v771Keywords:
Digital Divide, Elderly Health Consumption, Healthy AgingAbstract
As population aging and digital transformation continue to advance, digital technologies have been extensively applied in healthcare and consumer service domains, with digital health consumption gradually emerging as a pivotal modality for health management among the elderly. Nevertheless, due to persistent disparities in digital access, digital usage, and digital literacy, a considerable segment of the elderly population encounters substantial barriers to effective integration into the digital society, rendering the impact of the digital divide on elderly health consumption increasingly salient. Drawing upon data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study constructs a comprehensive indicator system for the elderly digital divide encompassing three dimensions—the digital cognitive divide, the digital access divide, and the digital usage divide—and empirically examines the impact of the digital divide on elderly health consumption using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Tobit regression models. The empirical findings indicate that the digital divide exerts a significant inhibitory effect on elderly health consumption, with all three dimensions demonstrating statistically significant negative impacts, among which the digital usage divide manifests the most pronounced effect. Furthermore, the digital divide attenuates health consumption by undermining the elderly's capacity to acquire health information. The deleterious effects of the digital divide are found to be more accentuated among rural elderly populations, those with lower educational attainment, and those with diminished health literacy. These findings furnish novel empirical evidence for comprehending consumption inequality among the elderly within the context of rapid digitalization.
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