Social Capital and Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults in South Korea: The Role of AI Literacy

Background Bonding (close, homogeneous ties) and bridging (weaker, heterogeneous ties) social capital are associated with older adults’ life satisfaction, but the indirect role of AI literacy remains unclear. Objective To examine direct and indirect associations among bonding and bridging social capital, AI literacy, and life satisfaction among Korean older adults. Methods Data from 1,250 adults aged ≥65 years in the 2024 Digital Divide Survey were analyzed using structural equation modeling and 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Results Both social capital forms and AI literacy were positively associated with life satisfaction. Bridging social capital was positively associated with AI literacy, whereas bonding social capital was negatively associated. Their indirect associations were 0.063 (95% CI 0.040–0.090, P < 0.001) and −0.025 (95% CI −0.049 to −0.005, P < 0.05), respectively. Discussion Bonding and bridging ties may shape older adults’ AI learning differently, suggesting that social context matters for AI literacy and life satisfaction.