The Effect of Subjective Socioeconomic Status on Physical Exercise: The Serial Mediation of Digital Competence and Digital Use

Objective: To explore the association between subjective socioeconomic status and physical exercise, and the separate mediating role of digital competency and digital use as well as their serial mediation. Methods: Based on a sample of 2097 adults (1068 males accounting for 50.9%) from the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey data, we utilized the Partial Least Squares algorithm to study the effect of subject socioeconomic status on physical exercise and the mediation mechanisms of the influence in the digital era. Results: (1) The extent to which individuals’ subjective socioeconomic status significantly positively predicted their frequency of physical exercise. (2) Digital competency played a significant mediating role in the relationship between subjective socioeconomic status and physical exercise. (3) The serial mediation of digital competency and digital use on the correlation between subjective socioeconomic status and physical exercise was moderately tested. Conclusion: Education on the digital competence of individuals with lower levels of subjective socioeconomic status and technological development of personal digital assistants may benefit the spread of fitness for all residents. This study can provide theoretic references for the construction of a leading sporting nation in China in the Internet era.