AUTHOR=Wu Shaoyong , Zhang Rui , Wang Chuncao , Feng Dawei TITLE=The impact of natural disasters on rural household wealth: Micro evidence from China JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science VOLUME=10 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.993722 DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2022.993722 ISSN=2296-665X ABSTRACT=

Examining the factors that influence rural households’ wealth facilitates enhancing poor households’ happiness, improving their overall welfare, and narrowing the wealth gap between different households. Thus, this study analyzed data from the China Family Panel Survey (CFPS) using multiple linear regression and propensity score matching methods to examine the impact of natural disasters on rural household wealth. Our findings showed that natural disasters have a significant negative impact on rural household wealth, with a medium-to long-term effect. Additionally, the heterogeneity analysis indicated that natural disasters have a greater effect on the wealth of larger households and households with high-consumption levels. Mechanism results suggest that natural disasters affect rural household wealth by reducing household income and harming individual’s physical and mental health.