Crossing the Chasm - Understanding China's Rural Digital Divide

The digital divide is a mounting concern for economic growth and social development of developing countries. As the largest developing country, China has a severe digital divide in rural areas. As part of the endeavor to build a harmonious society, China has devoted tremendous resources to bridging the rural digital divide; however, the results are thus far inconclusive. To better understand and tackle China's rural digital divide, theoretically grounded empirical research is needed. Drawing upon the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study aims to understand the critical reasons that essentially caused China's rural digital divide. The model is empirically tested using the survey data collected from 924 Chinese Internet users. The results reveal distinct behavioral models between rural and urban users. Implications for research and practice are discussed.