The research of smart city construction on the well-being of urban residents-analysis based on CFPS data

University of New South Wales, Sydney, 1466, Australia

^* Corresponding author: w499487643@outlook.com

Abstract

With the rapid progress of China's economy, improving people's happiness has become one of the main goals of China's future social development. As a populous country, China has been lagging behind in the World Happiness Index Report released by the United Nations every year. Therefore, improving people's happiness has become one of the important social issues in China. Since the 16th National Congress, China has been urbanizing rapidly and the urbanization rate is planed to reach 70% by 2050. With the rapid development of urbanization, "urban diseases" caused by uneven development and demographic problems have become obstacles to urbanization development. To solve the problem, the construction of smart cities has become a new plan to ensure the rapid development of urbanization while solving the problem of "urban diseases". Investigating the relationship and mechanism of people' happiness between smart city construction and people's happiness can help clarify the fundamental needs of smart city construction, improve people's happiness, and have certain significance for the future development direction of smart city construction. The research of this paper centers on whether smart city construction can affect the happiness of the residents and investigates through what mechanism it can affect the happiness of the residents. This paper compares the relevant literature on smart city construction and happiness, takes data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), the 2012 China Smart City Development Level Assessment Report, the 2014 China Smart City Development Level Assessment Report, and the 2016 China Smart City Development Level Assessment Report, and uses the econometric method of panel data analysis to empirically test the influence degree of smart city construction on residents' happiness. The experimental results show that (1) smart city construction has a significant impact on people's happiness, and the results are positively correlated. (2) The influence degree of smart city construction on people's happiness varies across different city levels, with no significant impact in first-tier cities and more significant impact in second-tier and third-tier cities. (3) Population heterogeneity can lead to some differences in residents' happiness feeling smart city construction.