Information for social and economic participation: A review of related research on the information needs and acquisition of rural Chinese

SummaryThis paper provides an analytical overview of related literature published during the past decade on rural population's information needs and acquisition in China, with a view to informing the world research community and policy makers of what has been found about the information needs of the world's largest rural population and to promoting dialogue between interested researchers within and outside China. Results from related studies are summarized; major methodological features of these studies are noted; practical and theoretical implications of major findings are critically analyzed. Although the results from related studies are not directly comparable due to their differences in research methods and contexts, it is nevertheless possible to draw some common conclusions regarding the rural population's information needs and information source preferences. Related research has overwhelmingly showed that rural residents have an extensive range of information needs, with agricultural technological information, market information, income generation information and policy information being the most needed; and that they rely very much on interpersonal relationships for acquiring both general information and information for agriculture production. The primary objectives of most studies are pragmatic rather than theoretical.