Interactive Research on the Digital Divide and Social Alienation of the Elderly in Zhejiang Province
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study focuses on the digital integration problems of the elderly in Zhejiang Province, aiming to analyze the intrinsic connection between the digital divide and the sense of social alienation, and to explore the effective path to alleviate the sense of social alienation of the elderly. Through a questionnaire survey (270 older adults) and in-depth interviews, we analyzed the digital divide from the dimensions of personal cognition, social support, external environment, and operation and use, and analyzed older adults' difficulties in the use of electronic products, aging needs, and sense of social alienation using principal component analysis and linear regression. The results show that the digital divide is closely related to older people's sense of social alienation, and its influence mainly stems from older people's own factors, technological environment and social support. Accordingly, the study suggests that the keys for older people to cross the digital divide and alleviate their sense of social alienation are technological inclusion, group guidance and active acceptance. This will help older people to better integrate into the digital society and enjoy a happy old age.
DOI: 10.61784/tsshr3147
Authors: YiXin Zhou, Fei Wan, Fei Peng
Institution: China Jiliang University
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4408840947