The Impact of Internet Use on the Peer Effect of Rural Household Consumption:Stratification or Convergence?
Refining rural household consumption constitutes a pivotal approach to augment domestic demand,enhance the well-being of rural inhabitants,and foster inclusive growth.In this study,we leverage data extracted from the China Family Panel Studies(CFPS)spanning the years from 2014 to 2018.Our investigation centers on scrutinizing the peer effect concerning rural house-hold consumption,thereby delving into the potential influence of Internet utilization on said peer effect.The results of this study demonstrate several important findings.Firstly,it is noteworthy that rural household consumption exhibits a pronounced peer effect.Moreover,the utilization of the In-ternet has the potential to enhance rural household consumption while simultaneously mitigating the influence of the peer effect,thereby facilitating the optimization of consumption patterns within rural households.Upon categorizing the various modes of Internet usage,it becomes evident that commercial utilization exerts the most substantial impact on rural household consumption and the associated peer effect.Remarkably,this conclusion persists even after subjecting the analysis to rigorous robustness testing.Secondly,upon grouping households based on their consumption levels,a noteworthy discovery emerges.Specifically,it is observed that the consumption gap exerts a significantly adverse influence on households whose consumption levels fall below the average consumption level within the same village.Conversely,households with consumption levels sur-passing the average consumption level experiences a significantly positive effect stemming from the consumption surplus.However,it is important to highlight that the utilization of the Internet has the potential to ameliorate the negative impact of the consumption gap on low-consumption groups to a certain extent.Simultaneously,it bolsters the promotion effect of the consumption surplus on high-consumption groups,thereby facilitating a more pronounced impact on the consumption levels of rural households,particularly among those characterized by lower consumption rates.Thirdly,upon conducting additional group segmentation,notable findings emerged regarding the impact of Internet usage on the peer effect of rural household consumption.Specifically,it is observed that this influence is more pronounced among groups characterized by higher levels of education,a younger household head,and a larger household size.Moreover,it is noted that the utilization of the Internet for social entertainment purposes has a similar dampening effect on the peer effect of consumption,particularly within groups characterized by lower levels of education and smaller household sizes.These insights shed light on the nuanced relationship between Internet use and the peer effect of consumption,highlighting the varying degrees of influence across different demo-graphic characteristics and patterns of Internet utilization.This study elucidates the presence of peer effect contributing to consumption stratification within rural regions.Furthermore,it under-scores the significant role of Internet utilization in mitigating such stratification and fostering the o-verall enhancement of rural consumption level.
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
