The Impact Effects and Value Paths of Farmers' Digital Literacy Empowering Common Prosperity: An Empirical Study Based on Statistics and Machine Learning

Abstract

In the process of reducing rural relative poverty, the construction of digital rural areas in China has developed rapidly. In response to the core contradiction of the digital divide evolving from an "access gap" to a "capacity gap", this study utilizes the data from the initial stage of rural digitalization in China in 2017 to explore the impact of digital literacy in different dimensions on the economic conditions of farmers. The research finds that after controlling for observable individual characteristics, farmers with higher levels of digital skills are more likely to reside in households above the relative poverty threshold. Although digital capabilities and attitudes do not show statistical significance, regional differences are obvious. The role of digital skills among farmers in North China, Northeast China, Northwest China, Southwest China and East China is prominent, while in Central South China, digital attitude is the key driving force. This historical perspective analysis helps to understand the root causes of the current digital divide in rural areas and provides historical experience for formulating differentiated strategies to enhance digital literacy