Perceived social distance, socioeconomic status and adaptive residential mobility in urban China

With the increase in urbanization, intraurban residential mobility, which underlies urban growth and spatial restructuring, is gradually becoming an integral part of migration in China. However, little is known about the differences in residential mobility between locals and migrants, especially in urban areas in Northwest China. In this study, we aimed to fill this void by investigating the residential mobility patterns among Urumqi’s locals and migrants based on data from a survey and face-to-face interviews that were conducted in 2018. The results first show that the migrants with low homeownership rates relocated more frequently, but had less intentions to move within Urumqi, compared with the locals. A larger proportion of migrants than locals was forced to migrate. Evidence also suggests that the migration directions of locals and migrants differ: both locals and migrants tended to relocate from the southern areas, like Tianshan and Saybark Districts, to northern areas, like Xinshi and Midong Districts, which show the northward migration process of the urban population center in Urumqi. In contrast to the locals, whose net migration direction was from marginal areas to the central area, the net migration direction of migrants was from the central area to the marginal areas, contributing to the formation of migrant communities in the suburbs and spatial segregation between locals and migrants. Lastly, the locals’ intentions to move were widely influenced by age, ethnic group, type of employment, family population, housing area, and residential satisfaction; the migrants’ mobility intentions were mainly influenced by housing type and residential satisfaction. To attract more migrants to the urban areas in Northwest China, a more relaxed migrants’ household registration policy should be implemented, and the inequalities of the social security system and housing system between migrants and locals should be reduced to bridge the gap between migrants and locals.

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Will Moving to a Better Neighborhood Help? Teenage Residential Mobility, Change of Context, and Young-Adult Educational Attainment

Urban Affairs Review ◽

10.1177/1078087416634899 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

pp. 305-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pat Rubio Goldsmith ◽

Marcus L. Britton ◽

Bruce Reese ◽

William Velez

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Residential Mobility ◽

Neighborhood Effects ◽

Longitudinal Survey ◽

Growing Up ◽

Propensity Score Methods ◽

The Social ◽

National Educational Longitudinal Survey

Research suggests that growing up in more affluent neighborhoods improves educational attainment. But would it help adolescents to move to relatively more affluent neighborhoods, as theories of neighborhood effects anticipate? Does it depend on the magnitude of the change of context? To answer these questions, we use data from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey and the 1990 Census to estimate models using propensity score methods. We found that both upward mobility and change of context during adolescence had small effects on long-term educational attainment that varied by race, socioeconomic status, transfer status, and the social class of starting neighborhoods. Importantly, upward moves and positive changes in context reduced African-Americans’ chances of completing high school.

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Influence of Subjective/Objective Status and Possible Pathways of Young Migrants’ Life Satisfaction and Psychological Distress in China

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.612317 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yi-Chen Chiang ◽

Meijie Chu ◽

Yuchen Zhao ◽

Xian Li ◽

An Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Personal Characteristic ◽

Urban China ◽

Social Adaptation ◽

Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Psychological Integration

Young migrants have been the major migrant labor force in urban China. But they may be more vulnerable in quality of life and mental health than other groups, due to their personal characteristic and some social/community policies or management measures. It highlights the need to focus on psychological wellbeing and probe driving and reinforcing factors that influence their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the influence of subjective/objective status and possible pathways of young migrants’ life satisfaction and psychological distress. Data on 9838 young migrants in the China Migrants Dynamic Survey were analyzed by LISREL 8.8. A total of 94.03% migrated for jobs or business. Subjective status, including subjective socioeconomic status, social adaptation, and psychological integration, had positive effects on life satisfaction, whereas social adaptation and psychological integration negatively affected psychological distress. Objective status, including objective socioeconomic status and health insurance, had adverse effects on life satisfaction, whereas they positively affected psychological distress. Social participation and city belonging had only significant positive mediating roles on life satisfaction. It is essential to increase social adaptation and decrease integration stress according to younger internal migrants’ practical needs. It is also necessary to enhance community/social resources and activities in the context of developing sustainability in the community to assist in mental health promotion.

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Market Transition, Multidimensional Socioeconomic Status, and Health Disparities in Urban China

Sociological Perspectives ◽

10.1177/0731121420937732 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 073112142093773

Author(s):

Jun Xu ◽

Wei Zhao ◽

Fang Gong

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Global Education ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Urban China ◽

Socioeconomic Indicators ◽

Party Membership ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Fundamental Causes ◽

Using Data ◽

Chinese General Social Survey

Synthesizing the theory of fundamental causes in the health literature with the stratification research on transitional economies, this paper investigates how the multidimensional socioeconomic status (SES), especially education and communist party membership, is associated with three self-rated health outcomes in urban China. Using data from the 2013 Chinese General Social Survey, we find that party membership is associated with better self-rated health, higher health-related quality of life and work, and lower levels of self-rated depression, whereas the effect of education is somewhat more elusive than it usually is in Western societies. Our findings suggest that the effects of socioeconomic indicators are better understood by being contextualized in a sociopolitical environment. It is also fruitful to include both global (education, income, employment status, and subjective SES) and local measures of SES (party membership and housing ownership) in exploring their associations with health in the world’s largest transitional society.

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Housing Tenure And Residential Mobility In Urban China

Urban Affairs Review ◽

10.1177/1078087402250360 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 510-534 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Si-Ming Li

Keyword(s):

Residential Mobility ◽

Urban China ◽

Housing Tenure

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Socioeconomic Status and Health among Older Adults in Rural and Urban China

Journal of Aging and Health ◽

10.1177/0898264303260440 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 44-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 105

Author(s):

Zachary Zimmer ◽

Julia Kwong

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Urban China ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Socioeconomic Status And Health

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The Effects of Religiosity and Socioeconomic Status on Social Distance towards Refugees and the Serial Mediating Role of Satisfaction with Life and Perceived Threat

Religions ◽

10.3390/rel12090737 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 737

Author(s):

Orhan Koçak

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Social Distance ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Research Strategy ◽

Threat Perception ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mediation Effects ◽

Mediation Analyses

In every society, refugees face social and economic exclusion. In particular, social distance towards refugees may be seen remarkably in cities where host people and refugees live together intensely. This study examined essential predictors of social distance towards refugees: religiosity, socioeconomic status (SES), satisfaction with life, and threat perception towards refugees. A quantitative research strategy was used to collect cross-sectional data from 1453 individuals via an online questionnaire in Turkey. Confirmatory factor, correlation, regression, and mediation analyses were conducted. In this study, the effect of religiosity and socioeconomic status on social distance towards refugees and the serial mediation effects of satisfaction with life and threat perception towards refugees on this relationship were analyzed. Questions related to age, gender, marital status, education level, and having refugee neighbors or not were used as control variables. It was found that religiosity and SES were associated with social distance towards refugees. Furthermore, in the effect of religiosity and SES on social distance towards refugees, the serial mediating roles of satisfaction with life and threat perception towards refugees, respectively, were identified.

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