Migrants' choice of household split or reunion in China's urbanisation process: The effect of objective and subjective socioeconomic status

《Migrants' choice of household split or reunion in China's urbanisation process: The effect of objective and subjective socioeconomic status》

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关键字: Migration;Household split;Household reunion;Economic rationality;Socioeconomic status;Urbanisation

作者单位: School of Architecture, Southeast University, Si Pai Lou No. 2, Nanjing 210096, China;School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.;Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong;School of Architecture, Southeast University, Si Pai Lou No. 2, Nanjing 210096, China;School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.;Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

摘要: The past practice of migrant households' split based on ‘economic rationality’ has caused many social problems in China, and the settlement of entire migrant households in cities has become an important social issue. Using 2014 China Migrants Dynamic Survey data and a multilevel regression method, this study found that objective socioeconomic status (SES) significantly impacts migrants' choice of household reunion. Migrants with higher monthly household income and homeownership are more likely to choose household reunion in cities compared to those with lower income and no homeownership. Additionally, migrants with higher subjective SES are more likely to choose household reunion in cities compared to those with lower subjective SES. Furthermore, subjective SES plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between objective SES and migrants' choice of city household reunion. We argue that unlike the early period of China's reform and opening-up, actively choosing household split has transformed into a passive choice for migrant households in current China. We also suggest that promoting migrant households' reunion in cities is significant to China's sustainable urbanisation process.