Electronic payment, natural environment and household consumption: Evidence from China household finance survey

In this paper, whether and how electronic payment affects households' consumption decisions are discussed. Data of China Household Finance Survey from 2011 to 2017 are adopted to carry out empirical tests. It is found that electronic payment would significantly induce households to consume more in discretionary goods. The potential mechanism lies in that the electronic payment cuts down transaction costs of venturing out or carrying banknotes that may hinder consumption. Using the weather conditions near the household location, this paper finds that the electronic payment would increase a household's discretionary consumption more significantly when the rain is heavy or the sunshine is weak. But necessary consumption like medical care is unaffected. It is found that electronic payment increases consumption more significantly in urban, well-educated and young households.