The determinants of energy choice for household cooking in China

Abstract

The use of household solid energy for cooking is a key factor of environmental health risk. China still has a large share of households relying on solid fuels as a primary source of energy. Clarifying the determinants that drive energy choice in China's households is fundamental to promote household energy transition. We integrate the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm and multinomial Logit model into identifying the determinants of energy choice for household cooking in China by the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data. The economic situation is an important factor of household cooking energy transition. Household expenditure is more important than household income. Income is an important factor, but the influence of off-farm employment is more important than income. Higher levels of health and household heads with children are more inclined to use clean energy. The education level of household head, living conditions, and the accessibility and affordability of energy are important factors of energy choice for household cooking. Our study expands the literature on the determinants of energy choice for household cooking and provides valuable supports for policy formulation of household cooking energy transition in China.