How Rural Residents Access News and Its Influence on Social Trust: Based on the Data of the China Family Panel Studies

The Internet is bound to profoundly impact public social trust. This study empirically investigated the impact of rural residents' access to information on social trust based on the tracking survey data of Chinese households, which covered a sample size of 12,042 rural residents from 25 provinces and cities. We found that: (1) The modes of access to information had a significant positive impact on rural residents' social trust. Specifically, as the time spent using the Internet or television for news increased, rural residents' trust in others also increased, which is known as the media propaganda and mobilization effect. The use of the Internet had a higher impact coefficient than the use of TV. (2) A substitution effect was detected between the ways rural residents accessed news via the Internet and television. (3) Rural residents used the Internet less frequently than urban residents to obtain news but were more influenced by the Internet regarding social trust. (4) The information-disadvantaged groups among rural residents were mainly women, old people, and people with low education. The government should attach great importance to the influence of media on social trust and needs to actively improve the digital literacy of disadvantaged groups of rural residents and combat and eliminate the digital divide to enhance rural residents' social trust.

Automated summary

This study explores the impact of rural residents' access to information on social trust in China based on tracking survey data. It found that the modes of access to information have a significant positive impact on rural residents' social trust, with the Internet having a higher impact coefficient than television. Rural residents use the Internet less frequently to obtain news but are more influenced by it in terms of social trust. Information-disadvantaged groups among rural residents are primarily women, old people, and those with low education.