# The impact of the digital divide on residents' healthcare consumption inequality: evidence from CFPS in China

## TL;DR

This study shows how the digital divide worsens healthcare inequality in China, especially through income gaps and credit issues, and suggests policies to reduce these disparities.

## Contribution

The study links the digital divide to micro-level healthcare consumption inequality and identifies key mediating mechanisms.

## Key findings

- The digital divide increases healthcare consumption inequality with a significant regression coefficient of 0.0523.
- Income inequality and credit constraints mediate 48.37% and 43.99% of the effect, respectively.
- The impact is stronger for low-educated and high-income individuals but weaker in rural and underdeveloped areas.

## Abstract

To explore the impact of the digital divide on residents' healthcare consumption inequality, reveal its underlying transmission mechanisms and heterogeneous effects, address the gap in existing literature that focuses on macro-level health inequality but neglects micro-level disparities, and provide theoretical support and actionable policy recommendations for reducing global healthcare consumption inequality amid digital transformation.

Multi-wave data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) were used as the analytical sample. The Kakwani index was utilized to measure both healthcare consumption inequality and the digital divide. A two-way fixed-effects model and a mediation model were applied to examine the impact of the digital divide on residents' healthcare consumption inequality.

(1) The digital divide significantly exacerbates residents' healthcare consumption inequality, with a regression coefficient of 0.0523 (p < 0.01) after controlling for individual, household, and regional factors. (2) Income inequality and credit constraints serve as key mediating pathways, accounting for 48.37% and 43.99% of the total effect, respectively. (3) Heterogeneous effects are evident: the impact of the digital divide is weaker in rural regions and economically underdeveloped areas, but stronger among residents with low education levels and high-income households.

Theoretically, this study extends health inequality research from the macro-level to the micro-level by linking the digital divide to healthcare consumption disparities, and validates the applicability of Keynesian consumption theory and the life-cycle hypothesis in the digital era. Furthermore, the findings align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3 and 10): targeted interventions can mitigate the adverse effects of the digital divide. For developing countries, this study offers a strategic framework to balance digital healthcare advancement with equity, preventing technological exclusion from exacerbating healthcare disparities.