Chinese Rural Households Research Articles

Digital economy, risk attitudes, and entrepreneurial decision-making in urban and rural households in China

Using data from the 2019 China Household Finance Survey, this study examines how the digital economy and household risk attitudes affect entrepreneurial decision-making in urban and rural Chinese households. Risk-taking families are more likely to become entrepreneurs, particularly in economically developed eastern regions. Furthermore, integrating the digital economy boosts entrepreneurial activities within households, especially in the central and western regions. Based on these findings, the government and relevant institutions should strengthen digital infrastructure in the central and western regions, as well as establish an evaluation and monitoring mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of policy measures to promote balanced economic development and sustainable growth in household entrepreneurial activity.

Digital Financial Inclusion and Poverty-Alleviation Resilience of Chinese Rural Households

Digital Financial Inclusion and Poverty-Alleviation Resilience of Chinese Rural Households

Rural China and the gender gap in early social-emotional development

Rural girls in China stay in school longer than boys and outperform them in many subjects. This gender gap suggests analogous disparities in early childhood development, a key factor in later educational outcomes. This study examines gender disparities in social-emotional development among 1,301 children aged 18–30 months in rural China. Results indicate that male children trail their female counterparts by 0.18 SD on average on the scale of standardized ASQ:SE score. A large share of the difference is driven by the bottom 10 % of children, where the magnitude of the gender gap (0.34 SD) is 1.9 times larger than at the median (0.19 SD). Demographic characteristics are uncorrelated with the gender gap in heterogeneity analysis, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying observed gender disparities are similar across rural Chinese households.

The impact of internet use on entrepreneurial behavior and income: Evidence from Chinese rural households

China's low-income population is primarily mad up of farmers. Elevating their earnings is the key to realizing common prosperity. Based on the quasi-natural experiment of the "Broadband China" strategy, we applied the staggered double difference method to explore the impact of Internet use on the income of Chinese rural households. The findings indicate that Internet use can enhance the business income of rural households, whereas it does not have such significantly positive effects on other income. After mitigating endogeneity issues, the basic pattern of the effects remains. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that females and individuals with higher levels of education benefit more from the "Broadband China" policy. The mechanism results show that Income boosting effect may arise from improving rural entrepreneurship behavior.

Financial literacy among Chinese rural households and its impact on stock-market participation

This study explores financial literacy (FL) and its influence on market participation among rural residents in China. Using the 2017 China Household Finance Survey, we find that rural residents have low FL and answer only 33% of basic and 20.8% of advanced questions on average. The findings indicate a substantial disparity in their FL skills. The ordinary least squares regression results reveal that advanced FL is statistically positively related to market participation. To mitigate endogeneity concerns, we adopt the instrument variable estimator within the generalized method of moment (IV-GMM). The IV-GMM results indicate that FL positively affects the market participation of Chinese rural households. The probability of market participation increases by over 7% with every unit increase in advanced FL scores. Additionally, the robustness tests confirm the positive correlation between advanced FL and market participation. Furthermore, the impact of FL on stock-market participation is more pronounced among rural residents in economically developed regions and those with greater financial assets.

Financial inclusion toward economic inclusion: empirical evidence from China’s rural household

PurposeFocusing on micro-level indicators, we investigate financial inclusion levels in rural China, examining its determinants and impact on household welfare. We construct a financial inclusion index of four essential financial services: savings, digital payments, credit and insurance. We identify factors influencing financial inclusion among Chinese rural households and assess the effects of financial inclusion on household welfare.Design/methodology/approachWith the entropy method, we use data from the 2019 China Household Finance Survey to assess financial inclusion levels in rural China. Determinants and their impact on welfare are analyzed through probit and ordinary least squares models, respectively. Propensity scoring matching is applied to address potential endogeneity.FindingsWe reveal that rural households exhibit limited usage of formal financial services, with notable regional disparities. The eastern region enjoys the highest financial inclusion and the central region lags behind. Household characteristics such as family size, education level of the household head, income, employment status and financial literacy significantly influence financial inclusion. Financial inclusion positively impacts household welfare as indicated by household consumption expenditure. The use of different types of financial services is crucial with varying but significant effects on household welfare.Originality/valueThis study offers valuable insights into China’s rural financial inclusion progress, highlighting potential barriers and guiding government actions.

Household air pollution and attributable burden of disease in rural China: A literature review and a modelling study

Household air pollution prevails in rural residences across China, yet a comprehensive nationwide comprehending of pollution levels and the attributable disease burdens remains lacking. This study conducted a systematic review focusing on elucidating the indoor concentrations of prevalent household air pollutants—specifically, PM2.5, PAHs, CO, SO2, and formaldehyde—in rural Chinese households. Subsequently, the premature deaths and economic losses attributable to household air pollution among the rural population of China were quantified through dose-response relationships and the value of statistical life. The findings reveal that rural indoor air pollution levels frequently exceed China's national standards, exhibiting notable spatial disparities. The estimated annual premature mortality attributable to household air pollution in rural China amounts to 966 thousand (95% CI: 714–1226) deaths between 2000 and 2022, representing approximately 22.2% (95% CI: 16.4%−28.1%) of total mortality among rural Chinese residents. Furthermore, the economic toll associated with these premature deaths is estimated at 486 billion CNY (95% CI: 358–616) per annum, constituting 0.92% (95% CI: 0.68%−1.16%) of China's GDP. The findings quantitatively demonstrate the substantial disease burden attributable to household air pollution in rural China, which highlights the pressing imperative for targeted, region-specific interventions to ameliorate this pressing public health concern.

A study on energy-water-food-carbon nexus in typical Chinese northern rural households

The energy-water-food-carbon nexus of rural households requires different strategies from those of urban households. This study proposes a nexus framework and a quantitative method to analyze the energy, water, food, and carbon of typical northern rural households in China. A system dynamic model of the rural household energy-water-food-carbon nexus was developed. Three scenarios were designed, namely appliance, behavior, and price, with 42 sub scenarios in total to explore the medium to long-term dynamic changes in energy-water-food-carbon in rural households under different scenarios. The results of the appliance scenario show that there is a strong water-gas and food-gas nexus effect in northern rural households. Compared with the BAU scenario, reducing the consumption of meat and dairy by 5% can save 11.89% of gas and reduce 5.64% of carbon. Moreover, the policy simulation results indicate that a policy will affect not only its target subsystem, but also other subsystems, creating a policy nexus. The behavior adjustment scenarios have a strong nexus effect on water and energy, and resource price adjustment scenarios have a good effect on water and food consumption. Therefore, when making policies at the household level, policy makers need to look at each subsystem comprehensively, use the synergistic effect of policies skillfully and avoid the antagonistic effect of policies, in order to optimize the positive effect of policies.

Love, health, and robots: Automation, migration, and family responses in rural China

As industrial automation supplants labor, there are important consequences on the labor market, especially for the vast rural population in developing countries. This study investigates how industrial automation, particularly the use of robots, affects the employment and mobility of young rural workers and the decision-making of their elderly parents in China. Using longitudinal data from rural Chinese households and a shift-share approach, we find automation in urban areas decelerates the rural-to-urban migration. This slowdown is accompanied by a reduction in rural workers' employment opportunities and an increase in their propensity to co-reside with their elderly parents in their home counties, which in turn alters their parents' financial decisions, including labor supply, savings, and family transfers. Notably, rural workers' decision to stay and co-reside with their senior parents fosters more frequent family interactions, contributing to notable improvements in the elders' mental and physical health. Our study underscores the complex effects of automation on labor mobility, family relationships, and the overall well-being of the rural populace in the face of technological advancements.

How do agricultural subsidies affect farmers’ non-grain cultivated land production? Evidence from the fourth rural Chinese households panel data survey

How do agricultural subsidies affect farmers’ non-grain cultivated land production? Evidence from the fourth rural Chinese households panel data survey

The Impact of Dialect Diversity on Rent-Free Farmland Transfers: Evidence from Chinese Rural Household Surveys

The rent-free farmland transfer that exists widely in China’s rural areas is a topic worthy of attention. Particularly, the regional heterogeneity of its occurrences implies regional cultural heterogeneities. Using local dialects to proxy regional cultural features, this study applies econometric methods to examine the impacts of dialect diversity on rent-free farmland transfers. It also considers possible mechanisms through a mediation analysis, based on a combined two-year rural household survey dataset from the Guangdong and Jiangxi Provinces in 2015 and 2016. Robust estimation results reveal that dialect diversity increases the probability of rent-free farmland transfers at the household and village levels. According to the mediation analysis, dialect diversity influences villages’ farmland abandonment, rural farmland market development, and the flexibility of farmland transfer contracts, which further affects rent-free farmland transfer. Rent-free farmland transfer depends on social trust and contracts’ self-fulfilling advantages. Therefore, cultural and traditional factors should be taken into consideration, which would form beneficial interactions between the selections of rural farmland institutional arrangement and land rights policy implementations.

A study of the promotion mechanism of digital inclusive finance for the common prosperity of Chinese rural households

Common prosperity is a social policy goal pursued by the Chinese government and an ideal social status for humanity. On the basis of three theoretical hypotheses, this study involved the analysis of county-level digital inclusive finance data and rural survey data. The Hierarchical Linear Model was employed to empirically analyze the impact and mechanism of digital inclusive finance on the common prosperity of rural households. The results indicate that the county-level digital inclusive finance index, as well as its depth and coverage, can significantly and directly promote common prosperity. Furthermore, it was found that household livelihood strategies are one of the regulatory mechanisms, and digital inclusive finance significantly promotes common prosperity through factors such as opportunities for migrant work, property income, business livelihood models, and agricultural livelihood models. In addition, financing methods are also important adjustment mechanisms, and digital inclusive finance significantly promotes the common prosperity through digital tools and loan availability variables. Our research provides favorable evidence for the cross-level interaction effect of county-level digital inclusive finance on the common prosperity of rural households.

Do Clean Toilets Help Improve Farmers’ Mental Health? Empirical Evidence from China’s Rural Toilet Revolution

The mental health crisis poses a major challenge to global sustainable development. In response, the United Nations has launched an ambitious plan to “reshape the environment that affects mental health”. Clean toilets are an important measure of civilization, yet it is unclear whether they are helping to alleviate the global mental health crisis. Therefore, using data from a large sample of rural Chinese households and introducing an instrumental variables approach based on the IV-Tobit model to address endogeneity, this study quantitatively discusses that clean latrines have a positive effect on the mental health of farm households. The results showed the following: (1) 89.8% of Chinese rural households had clean toilets, while the average farm household depression index was 12.568; and (2) clean toilets helped to improve the mental health of farmers, which means that the depression index of farmers with clean toilets decreased by 66.9% compared to farmers without clean toilets. The findings of this study can inform the development of policies to mitigate the global mental health crisis and contribute to the resilience of global development.

Evaluation of characteristics on the indoor dwelling environments of traditional villages in Hehuang area of China based on basic environmental parameters under remote sensing technology

In Chinese northwestern rural households where the indoor air quality is worse than the outside, rural residents face much higher health risks than urban residents. In this study, remote physical sensor devices and detectors technology were used to monitor and calculate the dwelling environmental quality index of 12 dwellings of traditional villages in the Hehuang area of China based on four environmental parameters to assess the indoor air quality of local dwellings. The results show that (1) the DEQI value reached 76 in summer but only 50 in winter, and the indoor dwelling environment quality in the Hehuang area was better in summer than in winter. (2) The ST was only 34 in summer and even lower in winter, at only 10, and low indoor temperatures were a chronic problem for the indoor dwelling spaces throughout the year. (3) In both summer and winter, the SRH reached 86, which was satisfactory overall. (4) In summer, the SCO2 value was 89 and the SPM10 value was 96, reflecting relatively good overall conditions. In winter, the SCO2 value was 65, the concentrations generally increased, and the SPM10 value was equal to 40, with concentrations exceeding the national standard value more than half the time. This study enables local governments and residents to accurately evaluate and analysis existing indoor dwelling environment problems based on this remote sensing technology, enhance the environmental health awareness of local residents, and provide an objective basis for improving the local dwelling environment and developing relevant policies.

The effect of online versus offline interventions on food safety and handling knowledge of household food handlers: A continuous experimental design

In China, 30–40% of foodborne diseases occur in households. Furthermore, compared with those in urban households, foodborne diseases are more prevalent in rural Chinese households, as evidenced by epidemiological data. The mastery of food safety and handling knowledge is considered crucial to ensure food safety, and this study represents the first exploration of food safety educational interventions for food handlers in the Chinese context. Knowledge-based interventions on food safety and handling were conducted among food handlers from 139 rural households. Over a two-month period, each participant received ten consecutive knowledge-based interventions, resulting in a total of 1390 interventions. Among them, 74 participants underwent online interventions, while 65 participants received offline interventions. Throughout the two-month intervention period, a questionnaire was administered to assess participants' food safety and handling knowledge four times: before the intervention, after the fourth intervention, after the eighth intervention, and after the tenth intervention. A total of 556 valid questionnaires were collected. The results indicated that both the online and offline interventions significantly improved participants’ knowledge levels. Knowledge scores increased from 13.54 to 20.93 points (out of 36 points) after 10 consecutive online interventions and from 13.89 to 22.00 points after 10 consecutive offline interventions. Furthermore, no significant difference in knowledge growth was observed between the online and offline intervention groups, although the growth rate decreased with increasing intervention time. These findings suggest that in the Chinese context, stakeholders can use the WeChat platform to design high-efficiency and comprehensive food safety knowledge-based interventions. Additionally, optimal intervention frequency and intensity can be determined through small-scale field experiments before launching large-scale campaigns.

Direct and indirect consumption activities drive distinct urban-rural inequalities in air pollution-related mortality in China

Household consumption in China is associated with substantial PM2.5 pollution, through activities directly (i.e., fuel use) and/or indirectly (i.e., consumption of goods and services) causing pollutant emissions. Urban and rural households exhibit different consumption preferences and living areas, thus their contributions to and suffering from air pollution could differ. Assessing this contrast is crucial for comprehending the environmental impacts of the nation’s ongoing urbanization process. Here we quantify Chinese urban and rural households’ contributions to ambient PM2.5 pollution and the health risks they suffer from, by integrating economic, atmospheric, and health models and/or datasets. The national premature deaths related to long-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution contributed by total household consumption are estimated to be 1.1 million cases in 2015, among which 56% are urban households and 44% are rural households. For pollution contributed indirectly, urban households, especially in developed provinces, tend to bear lower mortality risks compared with the portions of deaths or pollution they contribute. The opposite results are true for direct pollution. With China’s rapid urbanization process, without adequate reduction in emission intensity, the increased indirect pollution-associated premature deaths could largely offset that avoided by reduced direct pollution, and the indirect pollution-associated urban–rural inequalities might become severer. Developing pollution mitigation strategies from both production and consumption sides could help with reducing pollution-related mortality and associated urban–rural inequality.

A Study of the Impact of Mobile Payment on the Enhancement of Consumption Structure and Pattern of Chinese Rural Households

Amidst China’s economic transition towards high-quality development, the latent potential of the rural consumer market has been significantly unlocked, rendering the evolution of rural household consumption patterns a pivotal area of research. In this paper, we empirically investigate the influence of mobile payment on the transformation of consumption patterns within Chinese rural households, utilizing data from the China Household Finance Survey 2017 and China Household Finance Survey 2019. This study’s findings reveal the following key points: Firstly, mobile payment significantly contributes to the enhancement of the consumption structure within rural households. Secondly, the mechanistic analysis demonstrates that mobile payment plays a pivotal role in alleviating mobility constraints and optimizing the consumption environment, thereby facilitating the improvement of rural households’ consumption patterns. Lastly, the heterogeneity analysis indicates that mobile payment has a more pronounced effect on the upgrading of consumption structures among rural households with older household heads and higher education levels. In light of these findings, this paper suggests advancing the development of mobile payment infrastructure in rural areas, enhancing the proliferation of smartphones in rural regions, and bolstering financial education initiatives within rural communities.

Impact of agricultural commercialization on dietary diversity and vulnerability to poverty: Insights from Chinese rural households

In this study, we examine the role of agricultural commercialization in influencing rural households’ dietary diversity and vulnerability to poverty. The instrumental variable (IV)-based approaches, including IV-Poisson and IV-Probit models, are employed to estimate the data collected through the China Land Economic Survey project. The results show that a higher level of agricultural commercialization is positively and significantly associated with higher dietary diversity and lower vulnerability to poverty. The poverty-reduction effect of agricultural commercialization is robust to the adjusted poverty line. Further analysis reveals that increasing the level of agricultural commercialization significantly increases the consumption levels of legumes, fruits, livestock meat, and poultry meat. The findings highlight the importance of linking farmers to markets for commercializing agricultural products, a practical way to improve rural household welfare and reduce the risk of falling into poverty.

The impact of environmental regulation on farmers' income: an empirical examination based on different sources of income.

This study uses Chinese rural household data to examine the relationship between environmental regulation and farmers' income. The study found that environmental regulation has the most apparent promotion effect on farmers' agricultural production income. However, the effects on self-employment and non-farm employment are insignificant. In addition, the increase in agricultural green total factor productivity is a channel for environmental regulation to promote agricultural production income. The stronger the farmers' awareness of environmental protection, the more significant the effect of environmental regulation on agricultural production income increase. In China, the effect of environmental regulations on farmers' income from agricultural production is most significant in the central region, followed by the eastern region. In the western region, environmental regulations do not affect agricultural production income. Finally, we discuss the different impacts of industrial and agricultural environmental regulations on farmers' income. Results show that agricultural environmental regulation affects agricultural production income. By contrast, industrial environmental regulations affect farmers' self-employment and non-farm income.

Thermal performance of solar-biomass energy heating system coupled with thermal storage floor and radiators in northeast China

Solar-biomass heating system can effectively reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and achieve clean heating. However, there are some limitations, as ignoring the features of dynamic thermal demand and living habits of Chinese rural households. In the present study, a novel solar-biomass energy heating system is proposed that integrates a variety of heating terminals with a thermal storage floor and radiators. Experimental study and theoretical analysis were carried out to explore the thermal performance of the proposed heating system and investigated its impact on reducing energy consumption and emissions in a typical rural residence. The results demonstrate that during the operation of biomass stove, which corresponds to high heat demands, the surface temperature rising rate of radiators is 100 times than that of thermal storage floor, which allows the increase of indoor air temperature around 20℃. When heat input was stopped during the night, the thermal storage floor can maintain the indoor air temperature at 17℃. The average primary energy efficiency of the novel system is 0.57, which outperforms the traditional heating system. The energy consumption and average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are both reduced significantly throughout the heating season. This study has well considered the features of the dynamic thermal environment required by rural households, and the novel system has better adaptability and adjustability for heat demand to provide a potential technical solution for clean heating in rursal China.