The Environmental Costs of the Digital Divide: Mechanisms of the Digital Divide on Household Carbon Emissions

Abstract

The rapid expansion of the digital economy and advances in artificial intelligence have elevated digital governance to a pivotal role in promoting environmental sustainability. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, this study constructs a household-level indicator of the digital divide and systematically investigates its effects on household carbon emissions through three key mechanisms: consumption hypersensitivity, green technology adoption, and environmental awareness. The empirical findings demonstrate that the digital divide significantly increases household carbon emissions. Specifically, a one-unit increase in the digital divide is associated with an average rise of approximately 38.6% in household carbon emissions. Importantly, this result remains robust across a range of robustness checks and endogeneity controls. Further mechanism analysis reveals that the digital divide amplifies households’ sensitivity to consumption, diminishes their likelihood of adopting green technologies, and weakens their environmental awareness, thereby leading to an increase in household carbon emissions. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that these negative effects are particularly pronounced in regions with underdeveloped digital inclusive finance, among households headed by middle-aged and older individuals, and within populations with lower educational attainment. Based on these findings, policy initiatives should focus on improving the accessibility and inclusiveness of digital infrastructure, developing tiered frameworks to support green behavioral transformation and capacity building, and strengthening green finance initiatives alongside offline support mechanisms for digitally disadvantaged groups. Together, these measures can help bridge the digital divide and foster a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable transition toward a low-carbon society.