Internet Use and strongDepressionstrong Among the Elderly.pdf

PHOENIX CENTER POLICY PAPER SERIES Phoenix Center Policy Paper Number 38: Internet Use and Depression Among the Elderly George S. Ford, PhD Sherry G. Ford, PhD (October 2009) © Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies, Sherry G. Ford and George S. Ford (2009). Phoenix Center Policy Paper No. 38 Internet Use and Depression Among the Elderly George S. Ford, PhD† Sherry G. Ford, PhD‡ (© Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal Economic Public Policy Studies, Sherry G. Ford and George S. Ford (2009).) Abstract: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directs over $7 billion to expand broadband Internet availability and adoption in the United States. One target of such funding is the elderly population, a group of Americans for which broadband adoption is relatively low. An interesting question is what benefits do such efforts afford? We employ a dataset of over 7,000 elderly retired persons to evaluate the role of Internet use on mental well-being. Well-being is measured using the eight-point depression scale developed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CES-D). Empirical techniques include single equation regression, instrumental variables and propensity score methods. All procedures indicate a positive contribution of Internet use to mental well-being of elderly Americans, and estimates indicate that Internet use leads to about a 20% reduction in depression classification. As