Estimating the Effect of ICT Access on Household Food Spending Using Propensity Score Matching

The increasing availability of information and advancements in information technology have shaped multiple dimensions of daily life. This study investigates how these factors influence household food consumption behavior in Indonesia, drawing on data from the 2014 Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS). The IFLS offers detailed data on household demographics, access to information and technology, and patterns of food consumption, including field-verified observations. Using Propensity Score Matching (PSM), the study evaluates the effects of access to information and digital technology on the share of household expenditure dedicated to healthy, processed, and fast foods. The analysis reveals that households with internet access spend, on average, 0.195 more in logged food expenditure than comparable households without such access. Moreover, owning a cellphone is significantly linked to greater food consumption levels, even after accounting for numerous control variables. These findings suggest that access to digital technology may enhance food choices, improve access to nutritional information, and potentially increase household income.