The Impact of Internet Use on Residents' Subjective Well-being: The Chain Mediating Effect of Physical Exercise and Health Level

Using the Internet to improve well-being is essential to advancing the national Digital China initiative. This study uses cross-sectional data from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the relationship between Internet use and subjective well-being, drawing on resource conservation theory. It investigates the relationship between Internet use, physical exercise, and health status and subjective well-being using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and Bootstrap mediation analysis. The study found that when residents use the Internet, their subjective well-being significantly improves. By modulating physical activity and health status, Internet use indirectly raises subjective well-being at the mechanism level. Both directly and indirectly, through the chain mediation of physical activity and health condition, internet use affects subjective well-being. While their relationship has a positive facilitating effect in the chain mediation path, physical activity and health status have negative inhibitory and positive facilitating effects in the parallel mediation path. According to heterogeneity studies, the effects of Internet use on subjective well-being vary by gender, location, and marital status; the effects are more noticeable for married people, male residents, and those living in rural areas. It is suggested that the importance of physical activity and health level, as well as the role of the internet in enhancing residents' well-being, should be emphasised. Group heterogeneity should also be considered, and internet use should be promoted among married, male, and rural residents.