Digital Transformation and Energy Poverty Alleviation: Heterogeneous Transmission of Sub Dimensions of Urban-Rural Integration

Energy poverty has become a major issue that impedes social equity, exacerbates the wealth gap, and constrains China’s modernization process. The rapid development of the digital economy and urban–rural integration has provided new pathways to address this challenge. This study adopts urban–rural integration as its research perspective, utilizes panel data from various provinces in China spanning from 2013 to 2023, and employs a mediation and moderation effect model to systematically examine the impact of the digital economy on energy poverty, its underlying mechanisms, and its heterogeneous characteristics. The research findings indicate that the digital economy can significantly alleviate energy poverty. The mediation mechanism of urban–rural integration reveals that spatial integration and non-agricultural employment serve as the primary transmission channels through which the digital economy mitigates energy poverty, whereas industrial integration may instead exacerbate energy poverty by reducing energy consumption levels. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the energy poverty alleviation effects of the digital economy are stronger in low-income provinces, provinces with high energy intensity, and resource-based provinces. This study contributes to scientifically clarifying the causal relationships among the digital economy, urban–rural integration, and energy poverty, thereby providing a reference framework for developing countries of similar types to address structural contradictions arising from urban–rural dual structures and energy poverty governance.