Fact of the Week: Increase in Access to Broadband Internet in American Counties Results in a Decrease in Suicides

Source: Kathryn R. Johnson and Claudia Persico, "Broadband Internet Access, Economic Growth, and Wellbeing ", (working paper 32517, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, May 2024).

Commentary: A recent working paper by Kathryn R. Johnson and Claudia Persico assesses the total effect of broadband Internet access on mental health and economic prosperity. In order to quantify the impact of broadband Internet, they use county-level data from 2000 to 2008 from the Federal Communications Commission, during the rapid rollout period of broadband Internet in the United States. Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, they find that a 10 percent increase in broadband Internet access among county residents leads to 0.11 fewer suicide deaths per county, a 1.02 percent reduction in suicides overall. Additionally, data from the Centers for Disease Control suggests that access to broadband results in fewer incidents of binge drinking, another indicator of improved mental health. Counties with broadband access also saw reductions in the poverty rate and unemployment rate, both of which are positively correlated to suicide rates.