How Does Extreme Weather Reshape the Time Allocation Among Rural Population? Evidence From China

Abstract

Extreme weather poses significant threats to rural livelihoods globally. Time allocation serves as a critical short‐term adaptation strategy for rural populations, yet the specific effect of extreme weather on the time allocation remains underexplored. This study examines the effects of four major types of extreme weather—frost, heatwave, heavy rainfall, and drought—on the time allocation among farming, off‐farm work, and leisure activities in rural China. Using an integrated data set combining nationally representative rural household survey data (2019–2023), township‐level geographic information system, and meteorological station observations, this study employs a Tobit random effects model and conducts robustness tests. Results indicate that frost days and heatwave days exhibit U‐shaped relationships with farming hours and inverted U‐shaped relationships with off‐farm work hours. Heavy rainfall shows a positive linear effect on farming hours but a negative linear effect on leisure time. In contrast, drought exhibits no statistically significant effect on time allocation. These effects are heterogeneous across gender, age, and educational attainment. The findings suggest that policy interventions should be tailored according to regional meteorological patterns, with specific attention to the differential vulnerabilities of demographic subgroups to extreme weather.