The impact of digital information treatment on the evaluation of service performance of agricultural extension agents.

This article investigates the impact of digital information treatment—defined as exposure to information about the digital economy—on the attitudes and service preferences of agricultural extension agents in Shandong Province, China, using a randomized survey experiment. The study finds that digital information treatment significantly enhances agents' recognition of innovative service modes and improvements in service capacity, particularly among specialists from universities and research institutes and those serving small-scale farmers. The research highlights the role of government in providing digital public goods, such as cloud-based platforms and integration with popular ICT tools like TikTok, to facilitate resource sharing, improve service delivery, and promote a shift from traditional top-down extension models to more interactive, user-centered approaches. These findings suggest that the digital economy can effectively address challenges in agricultural extension by reducing information costs, enabling personalized services, and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among extension agents.