A Review of Research on the Digital Divide between Urban and Rural Areas in China

Abstract

In the era of the digital economy, the urban–rural digital divide-which stems from the urban–rural dichotomy-has become a key obstacle hindering the advancement of Digital China, rural revitalisation and common prosperity. Existing literature has conducted extensive empirical and theoretical research on the logic behind the formation of the urban–rural digital divide, its multidimensional impacts and governance pathways. Drawing on 10 key academic papers, this paper systematically reviews existing research across four dimensions: conceptual framework, influencing factors, positive and negative effects, and governance pathways. Firstly, it clarifies the historical evolution of the urban–rural digital divide through three progressive stages-access, usage and outcomes-and identifies five core driving factors: economic conditions, demographics, infrastructure, policy and digital literacy; secondly, it analyses the negative dampening effects of the digital divide on widening urban-rural disparities in income, consumption and industry, whilst also examining mitigation mechanisms such as digital village pilot schemes and government digital governance; it then integrates diverse bridging pathways, including hardware infrastructure, digital literacy development, resource decentralisation and intergenerational support; Finally, this paper highlights the limitations of existing research, including insufficient attention to regional heterogeneity, a lack of detailed analysis of the intergenerational digital divide, and the absence of a unified quantitative measurement system. It proposes that future research should strengthen empirical studies by sub-group and region, and expand research on governance mechanisms from the perspective of ‘new-quality productive forces’, thereby providing a theoretical framework for coordinating the balanced digital development of urban and rural areas.