Objective: In the aging world, the depression of older adults has aroused great concern. It brings detrimental side effects to old adults and the sustainability of society. The information and communication technologies have reshaped how people live among which the Internet has gained much popularity in the senior community. This study aims to explore the association between Internet use and depression in older adults. Methods: This study applied a representative national dataset (China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, CLASS 2018) to examine by conducting regression analysis. Inspired by the social capital theory, we further examined the mediating role of general social networks (as a general concept) and specific networks (family and friend networks) in reducing depression. All calculations and analyses were conducted by STATA. Results: (a) Internet use significantly reduces depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults; (b) internet use enhances social network support for Chinese older adults; and (c) social networks in general and family networks and friend networks in specific all play a mediating role between internet use and depression symptoms. Conclusion: This work proved that internet use could reduce depression levels in older adults in China, and social networks, including family networks and friend networks, have a mediation role in the relationship between internet use and depression in older adults in China. Combined with the Chinese social context, we explained that the existence of an empty-nest elderly community in Chinese society and the emphasis on kinship in Chinese tradition may be the reasons. Based on the main findings, tailor-made suggestions for addressing depression issues among older adults were discussed.

This paper explores the changes and influencing factors of public environmental awareness in China using data from the Chinese Social Survey (CSS) in 2006, 2013 and 2019. It was found that: 1) Chinese public environmental awareness showed a significant increase in 2013 and 2019 compared to 2006. 2) The increase in personal income is an important factor influencing public environmental awareness; 3) There are significant intergenerational differences in public environmental awareness. The younger generation is more environmentally conscious than the older generation, showing distinctive characteristics of post-materialist values. 4) Educational attainment has a significant positive effect on public environmental awareness. The results of this study show that with China’s economic and social development, the public has shifted from a preference for economic growth to a focus on environmental protection, and the Chinese public’s environmental awareness has shifted from materialism to post-materialism. In order to improve the effectiveness of China’s environmental protection policies, it is important to respond to this change in the Chinese public’s environmental awareness.

Research on climate change science communication began in the 1980s and is showing continued vitality and a wider interest at present. In order to track the development of global research on the communication of climate change hot topics and frontier progress since the 21st century, methods such as bibliometrics and co-word network analysis were used to analyze the publication of research papers in this field, and a total of 1175 valid papers published in 2000–2021 in the WOS core database were counted. Different dimensions such as temporal trend, spatial distribution, and author collaboration network were analyzed. The results show that, (1) climate change communication research has become a relatively independent research field and has entered a rapid development stage, and this field still has a broad research prospect in the new understanding of climate change and new international context. (2) At present, research in this field is still dominated by developed countries, but developing countries are actively building their unique climate communication discourse. (3) Public understanding and media information presentation have been hot topics in climate communication research in recent years. In the context of changing international situations and the development of global epidemics and new climate policies, changes in national actions will likely lead to new research topics and dialogues. Research shows that climate change science communication research is increasingly showing a trend of decentralization and differentiation.

Based on data from the 2013 China General Social Survey (CGSS2013), this study compares the public’s participation in environmental protection behaviors in the public and private spheres in China and the differences between urban and rural areas to investigate the differences in the influence of relevant factors on environmental protection behaviors in different spheres. This study found that 1) Chinese public participation in environmental protection is mainly in the private sphere, especially female’s participation in the private sphere is significantly higher than men’s; 2) compared to urban residents, rural residents are less involved in environmental protection in the private and public spheres; 3) Chinese public recognition of the environmental management work of the Chinese central and local governments is low; 4) individuals’ economic income, environmental knowledge, environmental risk perception, evaluation of the effectiveness of local governments’ environmental protection efforts, and frequency of media use all significantly and positively affect the Chinese public’s participation in environmental protection behaviors, but subjective social class does not affect the Chinese public’s participation in environmental protection behaviors. In order to improve the effectiveness of environmental protection work in China, it is recommended that the government, media, and citizen groups should open up feedback channels on environmental issues, strengthen the dissemination of environmental knowledge, and enhance the public’s awareness of environmental protection.

Drawing on nationwide data from the 2021 China General Social Survey, this study leverages ordered logit regression and propensity score matching to delve into the intricate relationship between commercial health insurance and subjective well-being among Chinese residents. The analysis unveils a robust, positive association between commercial health insurance and subjective well-being, with its impact most evident at intermediate levels of happiness. Notably, the study pinpoints a more pronounced effect among the middle-high income group. However, closer scrutiny of the marginal effects reveals a heightened need for commercial health insurance among low-income individuals, suggesting a potential avenue for policy intervention. In light of these findings, we recommend that the Chinese government actively foster the development of commercial health insurance, aligning it effectively with the existing system, to bolster the subjective well-being of the entire population.

Aging is a general trend of global population development, and it is also the primary national condition of my country for an extended period in the future. At the end of the 20th century, China's elderly population aged 60 and above accounted for more than 10%, and it entered an aging society. It is expected that at the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the aging will shift from mild aging to a moderate stage (accounting for more than 20%). Around 2035 it is Entering the severe phase (accounting for more than 30%). In the face of such a large elderly population, creating a livable elderly care environment is urgent. Facility safety issues in senior communities, "unsuitable" internal living facilities, lack of barrier-free facilities, and other hardware problems hinder the life of every elderly person around us; In the digital age, in the process of the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in the past three years, there has also been repeated news that the elderly are blocked from traveling because they do not use smart devices. Based on the reading of the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Construction of Sub-district and Township Elderly Service Consortiums," this paper analyzes the policy of "creating a friendly and livable environment for the elderly and comprehensively promoting the aging-friendly renovation of elderly families," and introduces the background of the problem and relevant cases. Analysis and reading pertinent literature and policies put forward suggestions on the future trend of Beijing's aging-friendly transformation.