Beyond Wealth: The Impact of Robot Adoption on Chronic Diseases

While the labor market effects of industrial robots have been extensively studied, their broader health implications, particularly on chronic diseases, remain unexplored. This study fills this gap by linking China's national-industry robot adoption data to individual health records from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Employing a city-level Bartik-type instrumental variable strategy, our Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) estimates reveal that an increase of one robot per thousand workers in a city reduces local probability of individuals having chronic diseases by 8.67%. The mechanisms driving these health benefits include better working conditions, better physical and mental well-being, and healthier lifestyle choices. A cost-benefit analysis suggests these health benefits are substantial, significantly outweighing the robots' acquisition costs. Our findings from China highlight a crucial, yet overlooked, positive externality of automation on public health in developing economies.