“Digital Dividend” or “Digital Divide”: What Role Does the Internet Play in the Health Inequalities among Chinese Residents?

Dongling Zhang, Guoqing Zhang, Yuxin Jiao (), Yanyan Wang and Pengnian Wang
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Dongling Zhang: School of Economics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266061, China
Guoqing Zhang: School of Economics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266061, China
Yuxin Jiao: School of Economics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266061, China
Yanyan Wang: School of Economics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266061, China
Pengnian Wang: School of Economics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266061, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: With the vigorous development of the medical industry in China, residents’ health has been significantly improved. However, along with the income gap, urban–rural gap, and healthcare resource gap caused by economic development, health inequality has become a fundamental barrier to the promotion of residents’ health. The popularity of the Internet has helped close the gap to some extent, but it also has drawbacks. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2014 to 2018, we evaluated the effects of Internet usage on health disparities among residents using fixed effect models, mediation effect models, and other methodologies. The findings indicate that Internet usage can help to minimize health inequality since it lowers income inequality, promotes health consciousness, and reduces depression. Furthermore, Internet usage plays a greater role on the health improvement of the middle-aged, the elderly, urban residents, and females. Although the Internet has brought “digital dividends” in general, the Internet usage rates among different groups also reveal that there is a clear “digital gap” among rural residents, elderly groups, and low-income groups. These results have significant implications for promoting healthcare equality.

Keywords: health inequality; Internet usage; income inequality; mental health; health consciousness; Internet access discrepancy; quantile regression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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