From digital cities to smart homes: how does smart older adults care affect the life satisfaction of older adults?—Evidence from CLASS 2020

China faces a growing challenge in providing adequate age-friendly care services due to a rapidly aging population. Smart older adults care (SOAC), developed under the concepts of age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC) and smart healthy age-friendly environments (SHAFE), aims to address this imbalance between service demand and supply. This study explored the impact of SOAC on the life satisfaction of older adults in China using a multi-level Logit model and data from CLASS 2020. The analysis considered both family and city perspectives. Our findings revealed significant positive effects on life satisfaction from the family perspective when SOAC offered high accessibility, application, and expansibility. Digital ability also plays a significant moderation role in this pathway of influence. For the city perspective, a positive correlation was found between digital urban service and life satisfaction, while the digital urban governance showed a negative correlation. Finally, the study identified a link between SOAC and improved life satisfaction, facilitated by a greater sense of gain from internet convenience.