Can Digital Literacy Alleviate the Multi-Dimensional Inequalities Among Rural Residents? Evidence from China

Multi-dimensional inequality among rural residents has become a major obstacle hindering the achievement of global poverty alleviation goals. This study utilized household sample data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) over four periods from 2014 to 2020 and applied them to a high-dimensional fixed effects model to estimate the impact of digital literacy on multi-dimensional inequality among rural residents. The results show that digital literacy can effectively alleviate the multi-dimensional inequality of rural residents. From the perspective of a mediating effect, digital literacy alleviates the multi-dimensional inequality of rural residents by improving the level of social capital and promoting social harmony. Moreover, the alleviation of multi-dimensional inequality among rural residents by digital literacy varies among different groups. The impact of digital literacy on the multi-dimensional inequality of agricultural workers and rural residents in western regions is relatively greater than that of non-agricultural workers and rural residents in other regions. Information processing literacy in digital literacy has the most significant impact on the multi-dimensional inequality of rural residents. This paper enriches the mechanism paths of digital literacy in alleviating the multi-dimensional inequality among rural residents in terms of both material and spiritual aspects, and provides a certain reference value for achieving the all-round development of rural residents and contributing to rural production practices.