Pedaling to wellness: The impact of dockless bike-sharing services on physical and mental health in China

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of dockless bike-sharing services (DBS), a key element of the sharing economy in China, on residents’ physical and mental well-being, as well as their social behaviors. Leveraging the phased introduction of DBS in Chinese cities between 2015 and 2020 and multiple data sets, we employ a staggered DID design with continuous treatment to evaluate the causal effects. We find that the introduction of DBS leads to a significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) and depression scores. These effects vary across individuals’ employment status, household physical capital and the geographic slope of cities. Additionally, we find that the entry of DBS increases the frequency and duration of exercise per week, while decreasing residents’ internet usage and online social interactions, indicating more active and offline social engagements. Our findings survive a battery of robustness checks. This study expands the discussion on the sharing economy beyond its economic and commercial impacts to highlight its social and health benefits, offering a fresh perspective on how the sharing economy contributes to sustainable urban development and the promotion of a healthy society.