Li Haibo, Li Haitao, Zhou Xing, Kuang Yin, Liu Feiyue
School of Economics and Management, Changsha University, Changsha, China.
School of Public Administration and Law, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Apr 22;25(1):1484. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22680-w.
With the advent of the digital age, online social interaction has become an important form of interpersonal communication. This increasing popularity of online interaction has led to a growing debate about its impact on community cohesion. However, the effects and mechanisms by which online social interaction affects community cohesion are not well understood. This study aims to investigate the correlations between online social interaction and community cohesion in the Chinese context.
This cross-sectional study examines urban community residents (n = 1037) across China's eastern, central, and western regions, with proportional sampling to ensure geographic representation. Data were collected via random questionnaires. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we empirically assess (1) the impact of online social interaction on community cohesion, (2) the underlying mechanisms, and (3) heterogeneity effects across demographic and regional subgroups.
The direct influence of online social interaction on community cohesion was significantly positive (β = 0.694, P = 0.000), and the indirect effect of social interaction on community cohesion through offline social interaction was also significantly positive(β = 0.243, P = 0.000). The effects of online social interaction on community cohesion show significant heterogeneity across demographic groups and geographic regions, being more pronounced among middle-aged residents (β = 0.901, P = 0.000), male residents (β = 0.727, P = 0.000), and married residents (β = 0.779, P = 0.000) relative to their respective counterparts. The effect magnitude in the eastern region (β = 0.784, P = 0.000) substantially exceeds that in both central and western regions.
The findings indicate that online social interaction is an important factor affecting the formation of urban residents' community cohesion, and offline social interaction plays a mediating role. In addition, The association between online social interaction and community cohesion demonstrates significant heterogeneity across demographic and regional subgroups.
随着数字时代的到来，在线社交互动已成为人际沟通的一种重要形式。在线互动的日益普及引发了关于其对社区凝聚力影响的越来越多的争论。然而，在线社交互动影响社区凝聚力的效果和机制尚未得到充分理解。本研究旨在探讨中国背景下在线社交互动与社区凝聚力之间的相关性。
本横断面研究调查了中国东部、中部和西部地区的城市社区居民（n = 1037），采用比例抽样以确保地理代表性。通过随机问卷调查收集数据。使用结构方程模型（SEM），我们实证评估了（1）在线社交互动对社区凝聚力的影响，（2）潜在机制，以及（3）不同人口统计学和区域亚组之间的异质性影响。
在线社交互动对社区凝聚力的直接影响显著为正（β = 0.694，P = 0.000），社交互动通过线下社交互动对社区凝聚力的间接影响也显著为正（β = 0.243，P = 0.000）。在线社交互动对社区凝聚力的影响在不同人口统计学群体和地理区域之间存在显著异质性，相对于各自的对应群体，在中年居民（β = 0.901，P = 0.000）、男性居民（β = 0.727，P = 0.000）和已婚居民（β = 0.779，P = 0.000）中更为明显。东部地区的影响程度（β = 0.784，P = 0.000）大幅超过中部和西部地区。
研究结果表明，在线社交互动是影响城市居民社区凝聚力形成的重要因素，线下社交互动起中介作用。此外，在线社交互动与社区凝聚力之间的关联在不同人口统计学和区域亚组之间表现出显著异质性。
