The impact of Internet access on household dietary quality: Evidence from rural China

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the internet has rapidly diffused across China. The spread of the Internet has a profound economic and social impact on Chinese rural areas. Existing research shows that Internet access has a great impact on agricultural production and improved smallholder farmers’ income. Beyond these, Internet can possibly affect other dimensions of social welfare, but research on dietary quality in rural China remains scarce. This study utilizes multi-period panel data from Fixed Observation Point in China from 2009 to 2015 to estimate the impact of internet access on dietary quality and food consumption of rural households, and conducts a causal analysis. Regression models with time and household fixed effects allow robust estimation while reducing potential issues of unobserved heterogeneity. The estimates show that Internet access has significantly increased rural household dietary quality (measured by Chinese Diet Balance Index). Further research find that Internet access has increased the consumption of animal products, such as aquatic products and dairy products. We also examine the underlying mechanisms. Internet access improves dietary quality and food consumption mainly through the increasing of household income and food expenditure. These results encourage the promotion of Internet access as a valuable tool for nutritional improvements, especially in rural areas.