Abstract:

This paper focuses on rural low-income groups, analyzes the impact and the mechanisms of digital village construction on the income mobility of low-income groups, and verifies it using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) matched with the Peking University Digital Rural Index at the county level. The results show that digital village construction significantly increases the probability of upward mobility for rural low-income groups. Improving the digital skills of rural low-income groups, expanding economic activity opportunities, and enhancing agricultural production efficiency are the main mechanisms through which digital rural construction enhances the income mobility of rural low-income groups. However, this impact exhibits significant regional imbalance, with a greater effect on improving the income class of rural low-income groups in the eastern region than in the central and western regions. In non-broadband pilot cities where digital infrastructure is relatively underdeveloped, digital rural construction can better promote the upward mobility of low-income groups. For low-income groups themselves, digital rural construction has a greater impact on the income mobility of families with higher education levels and higher digital skill levels. This study provides empirical evidence of the impact of digital rural construction on residents’ income distribution pattern, offering a reference for further expanding the middle-income group and improving the residents’ income distribution patterns.

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