Internet use and the satisfaction with governmental environmental protection: Evidence from China

Abstract

Resident satisfaction with governmental environmental protection is of great significance to environmental governance by the Chinese government. However, the impact of internet use on resident satisfaction with governmental environmental protection is complex, and the relevant empirical evidence is far from sufficient. Based on data from the Chinese Social Survey for 2013 and using OLS and ordered probit regressions, this study finds a significant negative relationship between internet use and resident satisfaction with governmental environmental protection. Further study suggests that an increase in different online content frequencies could reduce resident satisfaction with governmental environmental protection. Nevertheless, residents who are conservative or skeptical about internet information are more satisfied with the government's environmental protection. The conclusions of this study are consistent with the "negativity bias" theory, indicating that netizens focus greater attention on negative news related to environmental protection. Finally, this paper performs two analyses to ensure the robustness of the research results. First, considering the possible "self-selection" problem, this paper conducts a robustness test using the method of propensity score matching (PSM) and finds that the results are still consistent. Second, the sample is subdivided to analyse the regional differences in the impacts of internet use on resident satisfaction with governmental environmental protection. The results show that internet use has a significant negative influence on resident satisfaction with governmental environmental protection in eastern China, central China but has no significant effect in western China. In addition, the impact of internet use on urban resident satisfaction with governmental environmental protection is significantly greater than that of rural resident.