Renqing Consumption in the Digital Era: Evidence from China
利用中国家庭追踪调查数据，发现互联网接入显著增加了居民的人情消费，机制在于促进社交、降低交易成本和改变对关系文化的态度，且对欠发达地区影响更大。
In societies influenced by Confucian norms, renqing (obligational favor) consumption serves an important role in maintaining guanxi (connections) capital. The present study aims to investigate the impact of Internet access on Chinese residents’ renqing consumption. Utilising data from the China Family Panel Studies, we employ both instrumental variable and difference–in–differences methods to identify the causal relationship. Our findings robustly demonstrate a positive association between Internet access and renqing consumption. Furthermore, the mechanism analyses suggest that the facilitating effect is attributable to Internet’s role in promoting social interaction, reducing transaction cost, and influencing individuals’ attitudes towards guanxi culture. Additionally, we find that the positive impact of Internet access on renqing consumption is more pronounced in economically underdeveloped areas (central and western regions) than that in economically developed areas (eastern region). These findings complement existing literature by elucidating the mechanisms through which technology interacts with cultural traditions to shape household consumption behaviour in the digital age.