The Promoting Role of Internet on the Upgrading of Consumption Structure in Rural Areas of Shandong Province

Abstract

Under the background of the strategy of “Internet plus” and “rural revitalization”, the rural residents in Shandong Province still focus on surviving consumption, and the proportion of developmental and enjoyable consumption is not high. The consumption structure in rural areas is in urgent need of transformation and upgrading. Based on the data of 17 cities in Shandong province from 2007–2017, this paper constructed the panel data model, and then used F test, Housman test and other methods to study the impact of the Internet on the consumption structure of rural residents in Shandong province from both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The results show that the three indicators of Internet broadband penetration rate, smartphone penetration rate and per capita net income have significant positive correlation with the consumption structure of rural residents in Shandong province, and their promotion effect on the upgrade of rural residents’ consumption structure increases in turn. Finally, based on the research data and conclusions, this paper proposes countermeasures and suggestions to promote the transformation and upgrading of consumption structure in rural areas of Shandong province.