{"title":"Living Arrangements and the Digital Divide Among Older Adults: Evidence from a Survey of Smartphone Use.","authors":"Mengmeng Li, Honggang Lu, Fangting Xie","doi":"10.1080/08959420.2026.2748814","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Population aging has increased the demand for digital support in later-life care, yet many older adults remain excluded from smartphone-based services. Using a questionnaire survey and interviews with 4,236 older adults conducted in 2018 in Jiangxi Province, China, this study examines how living arrangements are associated with smartphone adoption and usage competence. The study found that co-residence with adult children was significantly positively associated with smartphone use, with the odds ratios of 18.1%, whereas spousal co-residence was positively associated with usage competence, reflected in a coefficient of 0.288. Additionally, spousal co-residence also weakened the negative associations between some personal disadvantages and usage competence, while co-residence with adult children tended to amplify these gaps. The analysis provides important insights for policymakers to formulate more pertinent policies to promote older adults to cross the digital divide.</p>","PeriodicalId":47121,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Aging & Social Policy","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Aging & Social Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2026.2748814","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Population aging has increased the demand for digital support in later-life care, yet many older adults remain excluded from smartphone-based services. Using a questionnaire survey and interviews with 4,236 older adults conducted in 2018 in Jiangxi Province, China, this study examines how living arrangements are associated with smartphone adoption and usage competence. The study found that co-residence with adult children was significantly positively associated with smartphone use, with the odds ratios of 18.1%, whereas spousal co-residence was positively associated with usage competence, reflected in a coefficient of 0.288. Additionally, spousal co-residence also weakened the negative associations between some personal disadvantages and usage competence, while co-residence with adult children tended to amplify these gaps. The analysis provides important insights for policymakers to formulate more pertinent policies to promote older adults to cross the digital divide.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Aging & Social Policy offers a platform for insightful contributions from an international and interdisciplinary group of policy analysts and scholars. It provides an in-depth examination and analysis of critical phenomena that impact aging and the development and implementation of programs for the elderly from a global perspective, with a broad scope that encompasses not only the United States but also regions including Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Latin America, Asia, and the Asia-Pacific rim.
The journal regularly addresses a wide array of issues such as long-term services and supports, home- and community-based care, nursing-home care, assisted living, long-term care financing, financial security, employment and training, public and private pension coverage, housing, transportation, health care access, financing, and quality, family dynamics, and retirement. These topics are of significant importance to the field of aging and social policy, reflecting the journal's commitment to presenting a comprehensive view of the challenges and solutions related to aging populations around the world.
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