Energy poverty and household development resilience: household level evidence from China

Energy poverty is a significant challenge facing sustainable human development and a key constraining factor for household development. Based on theoretical analysis, this study utilizes data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) conducted from 2012 to 2020 to analyze the impact of energy poverty on household development resilience and explore its underlying mechanisms through the Bootstrap method. The findings reveal the following: Firstly, energy poverty significantly reduces household development resilience, and this conclusion remains robust after addressing endogeneity issues and conducting a series of robustness tests. Secondly, energy poverty restricts household development by compromising health, educational levels, and internet access. Thirdly, the constraining effect of energy poverty on household development resilience exhibits heterogeneity, with a stronger impact in urban areas than rural areas and in eastern regions than central and western regions. Fourthly, further analysis suggests that the use of solid fuels significantly reduces household development resilience, whereas the utilization of clean energy facilitates the enhancement of household development resilience. This study provides important policy implications for addressing energy poverty and promoting long-term household development, serving as a reference for other developing countries.