| 摘要: |
| 能源贫困攸关全民健康，为探讨能
源贫困对居民健康的影响机制及效应，研究
基于能源公正三维框架，利用中国综合社会
调查（CGSS）数据，分析了能源贫困对居
民身心健康的影响。结果表明：第一，能源
贫困对居民身心健康具有显著负向影响，其
效应存在区域与群体异质性；第二，能源公
正在能源贫困与居民身心健康之间具有显著
的中介效应，且对心理健康（0.32）的中介
作用强于身体健康（0.19）；第三，进一步分
析揭示，分配公正与承认公正在能源贫困与
居民身心健康关系均具有显著中介效应，而
程序公正仅对心理健康有显著中介作用。研
究从能源公正视角为能源—福利理论提供经
验证据，并为制定精准化、差异化的能源减
贫与健康促进政策提供重要参考。 |
| 关键词: 多维能源贫困 身体健康 心理健
康 能源公正 中介效应模型 |
| DOI：10.13791/j.cnki.hsfwest.20240805004 |
| 分类号: |
| 基金项目:国家自然科学基金项目（72563005） |
|
| The impact of energy poverty on the residents’ health |
|
ZHAO Jia
|
| Abstract: |
| Energy represents a critical determinant of public health, with profound implications for
social equity and national development. Ensuring universal access to high-quality, affordable, and
reliable energy services is not merely an infrastructural objective but a fundamental pathway toward
promoting social justice and realizing the strategic goal of “Healthy China”. The intrinsic link
between energy access and well-being necessitates a deeper investigation into how energy deprivation
affects population health. This study seeks to rigorously explore the mechanisms and effects through
which energy poverty impacts residents’ health, moving beyond simple correlations to identify
underlying causal pathways and heterogeneous effects. To achieve this, our research is grounded in
the comprehensive theoretical framework of energy justice, which is conceptualized across three
distinct yet interrelated dimensions: distributional justice, recognition-based justice, and procedural
justice. Distributional justice concerns the equitable allocation of energy resources, benefits, and
associated burdens across different social groups. Recognition-based justice involves the respectful
acknowledgment of the diverse energy needs, experiences, and vulnerabilities of all communities,
particularly marginalized ones. Procedural justice refers to the fairness, transparency, and
inclusiveness of the processes through which energy-related decisions are made and policies are
implemented. This tripartite framework provides a robust lens for analyzing the multifaceted
injustices embedded in energy poverty. Empirically, this study utilizes data from the Chinese General
Social Survey(CGSS), a large-scale, nationally representative social survey that offers rich
information on household conditions, energy access, and health status. Employing econometric
techniques, it systematically analyzes the impact of energy poverty on both the physical health and
mental health of Chinese residents. To ensure the reliability and causal validity of the research
conclusions, this study design incorporated endogeneity tests and robustness checks, thereby
validating the consistency of the findings. The findings yield several critical insights. Firstly, the
analysis conclusively demonstrates that energy poverty exerts a statistically significant and
substantively negative impact on both the physical and psychological health of individuals.
Importantly, these results hold firm even after controlling for endogeneity and subjecting them to
extensive robustness tests, underscoring the resilience of the conclusions. Secondly, the detrimental
health effects of energy poverty are not uniform across the population; they exhibit pronounced
heterogeneity based on geographical region and household registration status (urban-rural).
Specifically, the negative consequences are significantly more severe for residents living in Central
and Western regions of China, highlighting the heightened vulnerability of these less economically
developed areas. When examining the urban-rural divide, a distinct pattern emerges: urban residents
experiencing energy poverty report more significant deterioration in their mental health, potentially
attributable to different social stressors and living environments. In contrast, rural residents bear a
heavier burden in terms of physical health impairments, likely due to factors such as greater reliance
on solid fuels for cooking and heating, leading to indoor air pollution and associated health risks. To
unravel the mechanisms behind these relationships, it conducted a mediation analysis. The results
reveal that the overall concept of energy justice plays a significant mediating role in the pathway
linking energy poverty to health outcomes. Notably, the strength of this mediation is stronger for
mental health (with an effect size of 0.32) than for physical health (an effect size of 0.19). Delvingdeeper into the specific dimensions of energy justice, the analysis shows that both distributional justice and recognition-based justice serve as significant
mediators in the relationship between energy poverty and physical health and mental health. Among these, distributional justice is identified as the most
influential channel. Procedural justice, meanwhile, exhibits a significant mediating effect primarily in the connection between energy poverty and mental
health. The policy implications of these findings are substantial and far-reaching. They unequivocally underscore that alleviating energy poverty is not just an
energy or economic issue but a paramount public health priority. Consequently, policy interventions must move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and adopt a
nuanced, targeted strategy characterized by layered and classified precision governance. Firstly, a holistic effort to synergistically advance all three pillars of
energy justice—ensuring fair distribution, according due recognition to all groups, and instituting equitable procedures. Secondly, it necessitates the design and
implementation of differentiated support policies tailored to the specific contexts of lagging regions such as central and western China and rural areas. Such
targeted measures could include subsidized energy efficiency retrofits in rural homes, income support for vulnerable urban households, and inclusive
community engagement programs in energy planning. From an academic standpoint, this study makes valuable academic contributions. It provides robust
empirical evidence that strengthens the theoretical linkages within the energy-welfare nexus, specifically viewed through the lens of energy justice. By
quantitatively validating the mediating roles of different justice dimensions, it offers a more granular understanding of the mechanisms at play. Furthermore, the
findings provide a solid evidence base for informing the design of more precise, effective, and equitable policies aimed simultaneously at reducing energy
poverty and promoting health equity, thereby offering a valuable reference for researchers and policymakers alike in China and other developing contexts. |
| Key words: multidimensional energy poverty physical health mental health energy justice mediating effect model |
