The Impact Of The Digital Divide On The Welfare Of Rural Residents

The rapid development of the digital economy in the current era has driven the improvement of the digital use level of the entire society,while the digital use differences between various countries,different groups,and even each individual have shown a trend of expansion.How to improve the welfare level of residents has always been a problem that the Party and the government attach great importance to and are concerned about,especially in China’s most widely distributed rural residents,how to improve the welfare level of rural residents is even more important.With the continuous prominence of the "digital divide" between urban and rural areas,research on its impact on the welfare of rural residents has become a hot spot in social research and the key to policy formulation.Based on the 2019 data of the Comprehensive Survey of Social Conditions in China(CSS),this paper studies the relationship between the digital divide and the welfare level of rural residents,mainly focusing on several key questions: What is the current situation of rural residents’ welfare in the digital era? What is the root cause of the digital divide among rural residents,and what is the level of digital use? Does the digital divide of rural dwellers have an impact on their level of well-being? If so,how exactly? This paper draws several main conclusions through research:(1)The current welfare level of rural residents is relatively low compared with that of urban residents.(2)Among rural residents,subjects with low digital use level still account for a large proportion,and the proportion of subjects with high digital use level of rural residents is far lower than the proportion of subjects with high digital use level in urban residents.(3)The digital divide has a significant impact on the welfare of rural residents.The impact of the digital divide on the welfare level of rural residents shows gender and age differences,and the impact of the digital divide on the welfare level of rural female residents is significantly higher than that of rural men.Digital Harmony has broadened the scale and strength of social networks,thereby affecting the welfare of rural residents.(4)The digital divide created by the differential distribution of digital technology access and use among various groups has played a key role in creating disparities in the well-being of people living in cities and villages.Improving the digital use level of rural residents,narrowing the digital gap between urban and rural residents,and improving the welfare level of rural residents through multiple channels are of great significance to the development of rural undertakings and the realization of common prosperity.Therefore,the government needs to strengthen the construction of rural digital communication infrastructure,provide rural residents with material conditions for digital use,such as cable into the village,broadband into the household,etc.,and vigorously build digital villages.At the same time,it is also necessary to make up for the non-material conditions for digital use for rural residents,such as digital publicity and digital training.Through the dual prongs of material and non-material aspects,the digital use level of rural residents should be improved as much as possible,the difference between urban and rural residents’ digital use should be narrowed,and the welfare level of rural residents should be further improved.