Digital infrastructure and quality of life: a quasi-natural experimental study based on the 'Broadband China' pilot policy

As a representative of new infrastructure, can digital infrastructure enhance people's well-being and quality of life? Based on the panel data of 220 cities in China from 2011 to 2020 and considering the pilot policy of 'Broadband China' as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper examines the impact of digital infrastructure on the quality of life of the residents using a multi-temporal difference-in-differences (DID). The results show that digital infrastructure construction significantly improves residents' quality of life, and this conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests including the instrumental variables method and PSM-DID. Second, digital infrastructure can improve residents' quality of life by promoting the level of the digital economy and enhancing the level of innovation and entrepreneurship.