Online Engagement and Loneliness Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Examination of Gender Differences

This study aims to investigate various forms of online engagement in relation to feelings of loneliness among older men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored which types of online engagement were associated with loneliness among older adults, with special attention to potential gender differences. We analyzed data from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), including 4,421 respondents aged 50 or older (1,732 men and 2,689 women). Loneliness was measured using the 11-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Ordinary Least Squares Regression models were estimated to assess the relationship between different types of online engagement and loneliness. More frequent use of all examined online engagement types, including instant messaging, social network sites, other social media, chat apps, and video chat, was associated with lower loneliness levels. Video chat had the strongest association with reduced loneliness, while social network sites had the weakest. Older men tended to report higher levels of loneliness compared to older women during the pandemic. Older women generally reported higher levels of online engagement than older men, although this pattern varied across different online platforms. No gender differences were found in the associations between online engagement and loneliness. This study highlights the potential positive role of online engagement in mitigating loneliness among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings emphasize the importance of developing policies that encourage and support internet access and online engagement initiatives for older adults to combat loneliness.