Seniors embrace the digital age through the use of smart devices

China's seniors are actively embracing the digital age, according to a recent survey which shows that more than half of people age 65 to 69 regularly use smartphones.

More than 31 percent of people in their 70s, 12.6 percent of 80-somethings, 3.7 percent of seniors in their 90s and 1.3 percent of centenarians also use such devices, according to the survey released by the China Population and Development Research Center last month.

"The overall use of smartphones stands at 15.1 percent among all those age 65 and older," said He Dan, the center's head and one of the authors of the report, during a Feb 11 conference. "The influence of the digital age on the elderly is expected to spike, and the prospects for senior-friendly industrial digitalization are promising."

Researchers surveyed about 17,500 people age 65 and older in 26 provincial-level regions in 2021, including more than 9,000 who were age 90 or older.

He said the survey was the largest undertaken so far in the world to track the conditions of extremely old people, and it will inform future research on senior health and policy interventions.

According to the report, about 82 percent of seniors used smartphones for chatting or video calls, while more than 55 percent relied on them to browse the news and watch movies or television dramas.

In addition, the report found that nearly 98 percent of seniors "are satisfied with their current lives".

Wu Qinglan, a 106-year-old resident of Liling, Hunan province, said she was able to claim a monthly benefit of 600 yuan ($86) from the local government as a senior citizen.

"With the country's development, we can enjoy better policies and are much happier than elderly people in the old days," she said.

The report also highlighted the significance of boosting home-based elderly care services, according to He.

Nearly 80 percent of seniors lived with their spouse or children. However, about 19 percent lived alone and less than 3 percent spent their later lives at elderly care facilities. These groups tended to feel less happy with their lives, the report said.

"In Chinese culture, home-based elderly care remains the mainstream approach, and seniors express a strong desire to spend their gray years with family members and familiar people," He said. "This finding suggests that our support policies for elderly care should emphasize the family."

The report also found that about 80 percent of seniors were cared for by family members, such as sons or daughters-in-law. The remainder were cared for either by social services and senior care providers or in-home caregivers.

"Researchers also showed that seniors who are cared for by their daughters are particularly happy with their lives," He said.

"In return, family members who shoulder the responsibility of caring for seniors in a family setting also gain health benefits through the process."

She added that the results highlighted the significance of promoting mutual communication and emotional support between family members.