Can network infrastructure construction alleviate individual depression? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment of “Broadband China”

Mental health is indispensable for satisfaction of humanity and the sustainability of economic and social development. Depression is an important negative manifestation of mental health. The progress of network infrastructure might offer an innovation against the prevalence of depression. However, the association between depression and network infrastructure has received limited attention in existing researches.

To address the gap, this study aims to empirically investigate the depressive disorder benefits of network infrastructure taking “Broadband China Pilot Policy” (BCPP) as a quasi-natural experiment.

Based on the data of 8,740 individuals living in 125 prefecture-level or above cities across China in 2013, 2015, and 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), the multi-phase difference-to-difference (DID) model was utilized to examine the effect of BCPP on individual depression.

The implement of BCPP was negatively correlated with the individual’s depression degree. The observations still held after a series of robustness tests. Moreover, the effects of BCPP on the risk of depression were more considerable in south or densely populated regions.

These findings could deepen the understandings of the favorable implications of network infrastructure in alleviating individual depression, which have provided theoretical and practical reference for giving full play to the empowering role of network infrastructure and alleviating individual depression.