貧富差距下數位化程度與財富及所得之關聯性

Abstract

本研究利用2013-2017年行政院主計總處之「家庭收支調查報告」，援引分量迴歸檢測家戶於不同分位量之數位化程度、財富與所得之相關性與分量差異性。實證結果發現所得收入與財富收入二者均與數位化程度具交互正向關係，且此等正向關係於普通最小平方法模型與分量迴歸各分量亦然，具相當穩定性且符合假說推論，故家戶若擁有越高數位化程度，越有機會接觸數位工具及個人通訊設備所衍生的多元網路、平台與數位資訊，遂較懂得以科技加值創造較高財富與所得，而高所得與高財富者越有資本能夠購買數位設備或越懂得善用數位工具，致使其數位化程度越高，進而有裨於創造更高財富與所得。其次，中高（低）數位化程度及中高（低）所得與財富家戶其所得、財富與數位化程度具較大（較小）正向交互循環效果，故低財富或所得收入（如10分位量）的家戶，因不擅長使用數位設備創造高財富與所得，儘管購買數位設備其財富與所得增幅有限，以致易形成低財富、所得與數位化家庭其財富或所得收入與數位化程度呈雙貧之現象，若長期循環將演變為貧富與資訊皆為雙貧之財富與資訊雙M型化社會，惡化貧富不均問題。

This research applies data from the ＂Report on the Survey of Family Income and Expenditure＂ of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, for 2013-2017, to a quantile regression analysis of the relationship among the degree of digitization, wealth, and income in different quantiles. The empirical results reveal that the degree of digitization, income, and wealth in all quantiles exhibited a significantly positive mutual relationship in ordinary least squares and quantile regression, but the quantile effect differed for different quantiles, thereby robustly supporting the hypothesis. Households with more access to digital tools, information, and platforms generate more wealth and income owing to the value added by technological advances. The converse is also true; high-income or high-wealth households have more capital and knowledge to purchase and wisely use advanced digital devices and information, thus increasing their degree of digitization, ultimately resulting in higher wealth and income. However, for households in the lowest 10 quantiles for wealth or income with less capital to purchase digital devices and platforms, their access to and usage of digital devices and platforms generally increase wealth or income only marginally. The long-term large and small positive effects of higher and lower quantiles of wealth, income, and degree of digitization eventually form an M-shaped society wherein the increasing gap in both wealth and information between the rich and the poor worsens social inequality.