Martin Nordin
Policy officer
High-Speed Broadband and Academic Achievement in Teenagers: Evidence from Sweden
Author
Summary, in English
This study examines the effects of super-fast internet connections on the academic achievement of students in upper secondary school. We link detailed register data on around 250,000 students to local levels of access to optic fiber broadband, in order to estimate a causal effect of broadband on student GPA. We show that reaching full coverage in the student’s parish of residence causes a GPA reduction ranging from 3 to 6 percent of a standard deviation. Estimates are consistently more negative for boys and students with low ability and/or low-educated parents. Using PISA survey data, we provide evidence that students living in areas with the greatest high-speed broadband expansion also spend more time online during weekdays, suggesting student time use as a potential mechanism.
Department/s
- Department of Economics
- Centre for Economic Demography
- AgriFood Economics Centre, Lund University School of Economics and Management
Publishing year
2017
Language
English
Publication/Series
Working Papers
Issue
2017:17
Links
Document type
Working paper
Publisher
Department of Economics, Lund University
Topic
- Economics
Keywords
- Education
- Broadband
- Internet
- High-school
- GPA
- H52
- I24
- I28
- J24
- O33
Status
Published