Spending time online is usually portrayed as something to avoid, however, a new study suggests that Internet access and use may actually contribute to greater well-being globally. The study, conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behaviour, delved into the relationship between internet usage and well-being on a global scale. It found that despite concerns about online harms, internet access and regular use of the internet relate to wellbeing on a global level.
"Our analysis is the first to test whether or not internet access, mobile internet access and regular use of the internet relates to wellbeing on a global level," said Professor Andrew Przybylski, of the University of Oxford, who co-authored the work.
Mr Przybylski noted the limitations of previous studies, which often focused on specific regions and age groups. Earlier studies predominately centred on North America and Europe and primarily addressed concerns surrounding technology, especially its impact on young people, he said.
"It would be really good to be able to target advice and tools and regulation to protect young people in particular, but that evidence simply doesn't exist in a way that would be useful for those ends," Mr Przybylski, as per The Guardian.
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For the study, researchers analysed data collected from interviews spanning from 2006 to 2021. This was part of the Gallup World Poll and it involved interviewing approximately 1,000 individuals annually across 168 countries to gather data on a wide range of topics associated with one's well-being. The researchers then employed more than 33,000 statistical models, allowing them to explore various possible associations while taking into account factors that could influence them, such as income, education, health problems and relationship status.
The results found that internet access, mobile internet access and use generally predicted higher measures of the different aspects of well-being, with 84.9% of associations between internet connectivity and well-being positive, 0.4% negative and 14.7% not statistically significant.
While the study couldn't prove a cause-and-effect relation, it did not find that measures of life satisfaction were 8.5% higher for those who had internet access. The study also did not delve into the length of time people spent using the internet or what they used it for.
