Consumption Inequality in the Digital Age

Kai Arvai and Katja Mann

No 21296, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: This paper studies how digitalization affects consumption inequality. We assemble a novel dataset of digital technology in consumption, and establish that high-income households consume a larger share of digitally produced products than low-income households. We show that these products become relatively cheaper, which benefits rich households and contributes to consumption inequality. In a structural model with heterogeneous workers and non-homothetic preferences, we quantify the impact of digitalization on consumption inequality. The model demonstrates that a U-shaped income polarization translates into J-shaped welfare changes, as the price effect mutes income gains at the bottom while amplifying them at the top.

Keywords: Digitalization; Inequality; Consumption; Automation; Relative prices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E21 E22 J31 O33 O41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03
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