Work

Digital literacy: The catalyst for credit access and income growth in rural households

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: To clarify the role of digital literacy improvement in farm household income growth, this paper constructs a digital literacy assessment framework covering seven dimensions and uses data from a 2023 rural survey in China to empirically examine the impact of digital literacy on farm household income. The findings indicate that digital literacy significantly enhances income growth among farm households. Mechanism analysis reveals that digital literacy improves access to credit for farm households, thereby facilitating income growth. The effect of digital literacy on household income varies by group, with the highest marginal contribution to agricultural income among low-income households and to non-agricultural income among middle to high-income households. Digital literacy positively affects income across different genders and educational levels. The findings of this study reveal that digital literacy promotes income growth among different groups of rural households in China through various pathways.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0341326

Authors: Ying Zhang, Haozhao Zhen, Yi Wang

Institutions: Hainan Normal University, Beijing Technology and Business University, Capital University of Economics and Business

Language: English

Topic: Digitalization and Economic Development in Agriculture

Subfield: Strategy and Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: No poverty, Zero hunger, Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,382