Does smart city implementation improve the subjective quality of life? Evidence from China

Abstract

Understanding how smart city implementation influences quality of life (QOL) is of major importance to the goal of improving the citizens’ QOL within a smart city. This study adopted the generalized ordered logit model to explore the impact of core smart city investments—Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and human capital—on subjective QOL using cross-sectional data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies. Subjective QOL was measured by three indicators: life satisfaction, frequency of happy emotions, and frequency of depressed emotions. Results show that ICT is negatively associated with life satisfaction and the frequency of happy (positive) emotions, but not associated with depressed (negative) emotions. Human capital, by contrast, has a positive impact on life satisfaction and the frequency of happy emotions but has a negative impact on the frequency of depressed emotions. Further, ICT and human capital can affect subjective QOL through perceived government corruption and government performance. In addition, the impact of smart city investments on subjective QOL varies greatly according to age and education level. Policy implications are proposed to improve subjective QOL by making full use of smart investments.