Using data from large scale Annual Social Surveys of the CBS in Israel, the current study investigated the impact of internet adoption and internet uses on the life satisfaction of senior citizens (aged 65+), compared to those of working age (ages 20–64) during the decade of 2003–2012. The findings show high-medium levels of life satisfaction – higher in younger age group, compared to the senior citizens. Life satisfaction increased moderately over time among the younger age group, while among the older population it remained stable during the decade under study. Our main conclusion is that internet adoption and digital uses increase life satisfaction, after controlling for socio-demographic variables, sociability and health condition. In addition, internet adoption and digital uses can constitute an important channel for increasing life satisfaction among senior citizens and weaker social groups: people from low economic strata and those suffering from health problems that interfere with day-to-day functioning. Moreover, in contrast to other powerful factors impacting life satisfaction (income, religiosity, sociability and health problems) this factor can be changed with relative ease, if digital literacy becomes one of the important goals in the national agenda.
Extensive empirical literature is emerging on the determinants of life satisfaction as part of mental well-being. Social scientists from various disciplines have tried to understand the factors that impact individual life satisfaction and whether these influential factors, as well as satisfaction with life, have changed over time. Internet connectivity and usage have risen dramatically in the past decade, providing people with greater ease in obtaining information, creating economic and social exchanges, engaging in social activities and online communities and much more. However, the long-term impact of internet adoption and use on individual well-being in general and life satisfaction in particular has received limited attention from scholars. The empirical literature monitoring changes in individuals' well-being in 72 countries from 1972 to 2006 did not include ICT adoption among the influencing factors (Blanchflower & Oswald, 2008). Given the increasingly prominent role of the internet in people's daily lives, an understanding of its influence on individual life satisfaction is crucial.
In addition to its direct and indirect benefits (DiMaggio et al., 2004, Hargittai and Hinnant, 2008, Kim and Kim, 2001, Mossberger et al., 2003, Van Dijk, 2005 and Zillien and Hargittai, 2009), internet penetration has also had a dramatic side effect: it has created a digital divide between those who have access to information and communication technologies and know how to utilize them, and those who do not (Compaine, 2001). Access to the technology and to its benefits is not equally distributed either between or within nations (Guerrieri & Bentivegna, 2011), including Western countries, and worldwide, older people tend to be on the 'wrong' side of the digital divide (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2015; Olphert & Damodaran, 2013). Moreover, senior citizens older than sixty can be identified as the social group having the lowest level of participation in the information society (Fuglsang, 2005). The European Digital Development Index (EDDI) value for the age bracket of 65 and older is constantly below the European average and shows no sign of improvement (Guerrieri & Bentivegna, 2011). Considering that life expectancy has increased substantially (Nimrod, 2013), today a 65-year-old person may expect to live an additional 18.6 years (Greenberg, 2009) and it is important to ensure quality of life for the aging population, which in our time is inextricably linked with internet adoption and use (Shapira, Barak, & Gal, 2007).
In this context it seems important to indicate how the age based digital divide is reflected in life satisfaction during the period of internet adoption in the early years of the 21st century. Thus, the main goal of the current research is to examine the impact of internet adoption and uses on life satisfaction among the senior population (ages 65+) in Israel, compared to those still in the labor market (ages 20–64) during the decade spanning 2003–2012.
We will begin by defining life satisfaction, after which we will discuss the impact of internet adoption and use on life satisfaction in general. Following this we will focus on the impact of internet adoption and use on life satisfaction in the older population
