Abstract: As an important region for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, ethnic border areas still face a high risk of returning to poverty. Compared with previous studies, this article focuses on the special region of border ethnic areas, explores the impact of digital access on the poverty vulnerability of rural households, and tests whether digital access can effectively suppress the poverty vulnerability of rural households by increasing utility levels. The research results indicate that digital access can significantly reduce the poverty vulnerability of rural households, and the results are still valid after a series of robustness and endogeneity tests; Research on the mechanism of action has found that digital access can reduce the probability of rural households falling into poverty in the future by promoting the upgrading of consumption structure and increasing social capital accumulation; Heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of digital access on the poverty vulnerability of rural households varies significantly among different groups, with a more significant mitigating effect on low-income and poor health vulnerable groups, as well as rural households with junior high school education or above. The research conclusion provides a new approach for poverty governance in border ethnic areas and important policy implications for preventing and resolving the risk of large-scale poverty relapse.

Key words: digital access, border ethnic areas, rural revitalization, poverty vulnerability