Erratum to: Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being in China

Abstract

Reports an error in "Internet use and subjective well-being in China" by Peng Nie, Alfonso Sousa-Poza and Galit Nimrod ( Social Indicators Research, 2017[May], Vol 132[1], 489-516). In the original article, the order of authors was interchanged. The correct order of authors is Peng Nie, Galit Nimrod, and Alfonso Sousa-Poza. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-00412-001). Using data from the 2010 China Family Panel Studies, we analyze the association between Internet use and various measures of subjective well-being (SWB) in a sample of 16- to 60-year-old Chinese. Our analysis shows that although intensive Internet use is significantly associated with lower levels of SWB, we hardly observe any associations when the focus is on participation in specific online activities. Nevertheless, SWB depends on the reasons for using the Internet and the extent to which individuals feel that their Internet use is displacing other activities. Our results suggest that, contrary to previous findings, differences in beneficial outcomes (the third level digital divide) do not necessarily arise from individuals' actual Internet use (the second level digital divide) but rather may result from their subjective perceptions of such usage. Our findings also point to a possible cultural factor that puts Chinese Internet users at psychological risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)