Based on data from the 2019 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), this paper systematically investigates the impact of social interaction on household consumption upgrading and its underlying mechanisms. The findings reveal that social interaction not only significantly increases total household consumption expenditure but also promotes a higher proportion of hedonic consumption. These conclusions remain robust across a series of robustness checks. Mechanism analysis suggests that social interaction operates primarily through two channels: first, the financial literacy accumulation effect, wherein information sharing and cognitive improvement lead to optimized household financial decisions; and second, the risk-sharing effect, which alleviates future uncertainties and unleashes consumption potential by encouraging participation in commercial insurance. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the positive impact of social interaction is more pronounced in eastern regions and among rural households. This research contributes to the understanding of how informal institutions affect microeconomic behavior and offers policy insights into enhancing financial literacy, expanding the coverage of risk management tools such as insurance, and promoting household consumption upgrading and domestic demand expansion.
Research Article
Open Access