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Cooking fuel choices and subjective well-being in rural China: Implications for a complete energy transition

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  • Ma, Wanglin
  • Vatsa, Puneet
  • Zheng, Hongyun

Abstract

This paper examines the impacts of cooking fuel choices on individuals' subjective well-being, measured by happiness and life satisfaction, using open-access data from the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey. We analyze the impacts by employing a multivalued treatment effects model that accounts for selectivity bias. Unlike previous studies that consider households' binary fuel use decisions or specific fuel choices, we capture the households' fuel-stacking behaviors (using multiple fuels) by classifying cooking fuels into clean fuels, non-clean fuels, and mixed-fuels. The empirical results show that complete energy transition (i.e., switching from either non-clean fuels or mixed fuels to clean fuels) significantly improves individuals' happiness and life satisfaction. In comparison, incomplete energy transition (i.e., shifting from non-clean fuels to mixed fuels) does not significantly impact individuals' subjective well-being. A complete energy transition increases people's subjective well-being in the eastern and central parts of China but has no impact on those living in western China. Furthermore, switching from non-clean fuels to clean fuels significantly reduces happiness inequality and life satisfaction inequality. Switching to cleaner fuels also significantly increases individuals' self-reported health. We recommend that the government in China make concerted efforts to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and clean energy sources and accelerate rural households' energy transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Wanglin & Vatsa, Puneet & Zheng, Hongyun, 2022. "Cooking fuel choices and subjective well-being in rural China: Implications for a complete energy transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:165:y:2022:i:c:s0301421522002178
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.112992
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    3. Nigel Scott & Jerome Nsengiyaremye & Jacob Fodio Todd & Jon Leary, 2023. "Cooking Fuel Choice and Wellbeing: A Global Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-22, September.
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    5. Zheng, Linyi, 2023. "Impact of off-farm employment on cooking fuel choices: Implications for rural-urban transformation in advancing sustainable energy transformation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    6. Wang, Xiqian & Bian, Yong & Zhang, Qin, 2023. "The effect of cooking fuel choice on the elderly’s well-being: Evidence from two non-parametric methods," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    7. Pengyu Ren & Xiaoyi Liu & Fanghua Li & Dungang Zang, 2022. "Clean Household Energy Consumption and Residents’ Well-Being: Empirical Analysis and Mechanism Test," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-16, October.
    8. Subash Surendran Padmaja & Aditya Korekallu Srinivasa & Pooja Trivedi & Kondapi Srinivas, 2023. "Women self‐help groups and intra‐household decision‐making in agriculture," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(3), pages 857-876, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cooking fuel choices; Happiness; Life satisfaction; Energy transition; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources

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