Research On The Impact Of Population Aging On The Digital Economy

At the 14 th Five-Year Plan stage,China’s digital optimization and upgrading has entered a critical phase.China’s traditional factor input-based crude economic growth is gradually being replaced by a growth approach in which the data factor is the key driver.Since 1978,China has achieved rapid economic growth with an abundant supply of labor and the advantage of demographic dividend.However,economic development has led,on the one hand,to an increase in national income and the standard of living of the population and,on the other hand,to a decrease in the rate of births and deaths in society and an increase in life expectancy per capita.China has been ageing since the end of the last century.After more than two decades of development,the number of elderly people in China has been increasing.Ageing brings with it increasing pressures and challenges to social.According to international experience,the gradual ageing of the population structure affects economic growth by reducing the quantity of the social labour supply on the one hand,and the human capital situation in society by affecting the quality of the workforce on the other,posing a challenge to the innovative development of the country.Currently,domestic and international research on ageing focuses on its impact on economic growth,while relatively little research has been conducted on the relationship between ageing and the digital economy.This paper compares the concepts and theoretical foundations related to population ageing and the digital economy,constructs a system of indicators for the development of China’s digital economy,studies the specific paths by which population ageing affects China’s digital economy,and uses empirical analysis to verify the relationship between them.This paper measures the level of development of China’s digital economy using panel data of 30 provinces across the country from 2013 to 2020,using the entropy value method,and evaluates and analyses it from the perspective of time and space according to the measurement results.At the same time,the possible heterogeneity between aging and digital economy is discussed,considering the unevenness of aging and regional development in China.Ultimately,the following research conclusions are given by combining the results of the theoretical analysis and empirical tests:First,population aging has become an unstoppable trend and will become a national condition that China must face for a long time in the future.China has a large elderly population,rapid ageing development and significant regional imbalances in ageing.At the 14 th Five-Year Plan stage,China’s population will see negative growth and enter a moderate aging society in advance.Secondly,China’s digital economy shows an overall upward trend,but there are significant differences between different regions.Among them,the eastern region has a higher level of digital economy than the central region and higher than the northeastern and western regions.However,the difference in digital economy between the northeast and western regions is smaller.This is the same as the regional imbalance of our economy.Third,while population ageing can directly affect the digital economy,it can also have an indirect effect on the digital economy through human capital and technological innovation.Human capital and technological innovation are mainly achieved through the inhibiting effects of ageing,which inhibits human capital and technological innovation and further hinders the development of the digital economy.Fourth,overall,there is a significant inhibiting effect of population ageing on China’s digital economy.However,the impact of ageing on the digital economy shows age and regional heterogeneity due to the different ages of the older population and differences in economic development in different regions.Specifically,the older the elderly population is,the more pronounced its inhibitory effect on the digital economy.Similarly,the higher the level of economic development,the smaller the inhibitory effect of aging will be.In summary,the accelerated ageing process is detrimental to the digitalisation of China.In order to mitigate the adverse effects of ageing on the digital economy,the positive effects of population ageing should be fully utilised.The findings obtained from this paper will help the relevant authorities to formulate population policies in accordance with local conditions and to contribute to China’s smart economy.