Social capital and rural household energy poverty: Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies

Energy poverty is a significant challenge constraining the sustainable development of rural China. As a core element of informal institutions, social capital plays a unique role in alleviating energy poverty. Utilizing longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies spanning 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, this study examines the impact of social capital on rural household energy poverty, the heterogeneity of its effects, and underlying mechanisms. The empirical results demonstrate that social capital significantly reduces rural energy poverty, with particularly pronounced effects among households with older decision-makers, lower educational attainment, smaller family sizes, and those residing in central-western regions. Furthermore, the study confirms that social capital mitigates energy poverty through three key pathways: enhancing household net income, facilitating access to informal financing, and improving health status. These findings provide substantive evidence elucidating the positive function of social capital and its mechanisms in combating rural household energy poverty.