Abstract:

Whether the vulnerability of household finance can be alleviated is related to the realization of the goal of our country's common prosperity. Based on the data of Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020, this paper empirically studies the impact of the digital divide on household financial vulnerability. The results show that the widening of the digital divide increases household financial vulnerability, and the digital usage gap plays a key role. Mechanism analysis shows that the widening of digital divide reduces household income diversification and increases household financial vulnerability. Further analysis of the mechanism shows that cognitive ability moderates both the direct effect and the indirect effect of the digital divide on household financial vulnerability. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of bridging the digital divide on alleviating family financial vulnerability is particularly obvious in rural households and households with high–risk preference. 

Key words:

digital divide, household financial vulnerability, income diversity, cognitive ability

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