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Impact of internet usage on the subjective well-being of urban and rural households: Evidence from Vietnam

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  • Liang, Wanqi
  • Li, Wenying

Abstract

Although many studies have investigated various benefits of Internet usage, little attention has been paid to its subjective impacts. This paper examines the impact of Internet usage on subjective well-being (SWB) and subjective social mobility (SSM) using a sample of 5000 households in Vietnam. A propensity score matching method is applied to address the selection bias that existed prior to the intervention and to make a causal inference. We find that, on average, Internet usage increased subjective social well-being significantly. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that, in terms of the future subjective well-being (FSWB), Internet usage has a larger impact on rural households. However, we found no effect of Internet usage on subjective social mobility.

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  • Liang, Wanqi & Li, Wenying, 2023. "Impact of internet usage on the subjective well-being of urban and rural households: Evidence from Vietnam," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(3).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:47:y:2023:i:3:s0308596123000290
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2023.102518
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    Cited by:

    1. Phan, Van-Phuc, 2023. "Is the internet penetration pro-poor? Evidence from a panel data analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(8).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Subjective well-being; Subjective social mobility; Propensity score matching; Vietnam;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • P36 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training; Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty

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