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Acculturation and identity are two significant determinants of the psychological well‐being of migrants, but how they interactively affect psychological well‐being is still underexplored. This study proposes an interactional perspective that links acculturation and urban identity to the psychological well‐being of rural–urban migrants in China. Using data from the 2014 National Migrant Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey, the results of multilevel modeling indicate that both acculturation and urban identity significantly affect the psychological well‐being of rural–urban migrants. Migrants who adopt the integration and assimilation strategy show better psychological well‐being than those who adopt the separation and marginalization strategy. Rural–urban migrants who have a stronger sense of urban identity show better psychological well‐being than those with a weaker sense of urban identity. Meanwhile, urban identity and acculturation also interactively affect the psychological well‐being of rural–urban migrants. In particular, urban identity alleviates the negative pressure generated in the process of acculturation for those who adopt the acculturation strategy of separation. In addition, the effect of acculturation and urban identity on the psychological well‐being of rural–urban migrants varies by migration distance. The research contributes to the literature by demonstrating that cultural identity and place identity interactively affect the psychological well‐being of internal migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing population mobility in the context of globalization has greatly reshaped people's cognition and sentiment toward their places of residence. China has witnessed an unprecedented surge in internal migration from rural to urban areas since the mid-1980 s. However, limited by multiple barriers, rural-urban migrants in China face predicaments in establishing a psychological bond with their host cities. This study develops a conceptual framework that links rural-urban migrants' urban experiences and attitudes toward both original and urban lifestyles to their city attachment. Using a nationwide survey and structural equation modeling, this study finds that (1) while willingness of social interaction with urban locals has a positive effect on the urban attachment of rural-urban migrants, perceived social exclusion depresses the urban attachment of rural-urban migrants. (2) Loyalty to one's original lifestyle is not significantly associated with the urban attachment of rural-urban migrants, whereas preference for the urban lifestyle is positively associated with the urban attachment of rural-urban migrants. (3) Willingness of social interaction with urban locals and perceived social exclusion can affect the urban attachment of rural-urban migrants by influencing their attitudes toward the urban lifestyle. (4) perceived social exclusion is positively related to loyalty to the original lifestyle for rural-urban migrants from cities located in northern area of China, while it is negatively related to loyalty to the original lifestyle for rural-urban migrants from cities located in the central and southern areas. Our study broadens the research on the urban attachment of rural-urban migrants and suggests that migrants' experiences in the host society and attitudes toward the lifestyle of the host society are significant in shaping their place attachment to the host society. Furthermore, the process by which rural-urban migrants form meaningful relations with the city can occur through the influence of urban experiences on attitudes toward the urban lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the residential mobility decisions of rural migrants with a history of living in urban villages in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu province. Many were displaced by its demolition–redevelopment policy (forced movers); some chose to move voluntarily to improve their housing utility (voluntary movers); others decided to stay put in substandard housing (voluntary non-movers). A survey of their current housing conditions revealed that, compared to voluntary non-movers, most forced movers had not become better-off. But the voluntary movers had done much better than both of the other groups, implying that a timely move could have led to their improved housing conditions. However, even voluntary moves proved to have a downside, namely, that voluntary migrants would likely end up living somewhere more remote from coveted facilities and locations of jobs in the inner city. Logistic regression analysis showed how differences in socio-demographic characteristics between voluntary movers and non-movers could explain why some decided to move. For those who decided to stay, the analysis also indicates how the advantages of the current location may compensate for housing deficiencies. These results correspond to the motives migrants expressed in supplementary in-depth interviews: migrants intending to become permanent residents were most likely to move for better housing. The findings also point to structural constraints on residential mobility. For poor migrants without a Jiangsu hukou, moving to better housing was simply not an option. This suggests that further hukou reform is needed if urban redevelopment is not only meant to improve the image of the city but also the migrants' housing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a survey conducted after the reform of the residential registration system (hukou in Chinese), this paper explores housing tenure change among China's rural–urban migrants in a medium-size city. It emphasizes the long-term effect of their initial hukou status which encapsulates the conditions in their place of origin and the social capital these represent. Our study presents two major findings: One, the initial housing tenures of rural migrants differ because their tenure choice reflects their socio-demographic characteristics and their migration record; the latter expresses their moving history as well as their short- and long-term objectives. Two, the current tenure choice of rural migrants is path-dependent—once they choose the initial tenure, they will be more (or less) likely to choose a specific subsequent one, leading ultimately to the current tenure. The national reform of the hukou system is fundamental to the understanding of their housing careers. This reform made it possible to change the hukou obtained at birth to a local one, giving the migrant access to a wide range of facilities and social services. Homeownership became the usual key to unlock these benefits. Migrants who intend to settle permanently at their destination may therefore be expected to purchase a dwelling later in their housing career. Adopting a housing policy that sets migrants on the path to homeownership, allows a city to bind desirable migrants. That path appears to be conditioned by the early steps in the migration experience. Therefore, the local housing policy should be concerned with accommodating the housing needs of newly arriving migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The rapid increase of temporary migrants in large Chinese cities has led to the need for a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to the influx. However, previous investigation into this subject has been undermined by an oversimplification of the concepts and measurements related to settlement intentions and migrants' social network. This study uses a combination of data from a 2013 nationwide survey and multilevel logit regressions to investigate the settlement intentions of 12,807 rural-urban migrants across eight cities in China. It especially focuses on the ways in which social ties between migrants and people in their destination cities shaped their intention to settle there. This study makes an innovative contribution to the literature in three ways. First, it distinguishes between migrants' ties to non-residents (other migrants from the same place of origin), kin residents (local residents who are kin), and non-kin residents (local residents who are not kin). Second, it distinguishes between interactive social ties and supportive social ties. Third, it uses multiple indicators to measure the intention of migrants who decide to permanently settle, as well as hukou transfer and housing ownership. Findings from our analysis indicate that the newly formed intergroup ties of migrants and their existing intragroup ties exert different impacts on their intention to settle. Specifically, migrants' newly formed ties with non-kin residents are positively linked to their settlement intention, while their ties to non-residents are negatively associated with their settlement intention. Our findings also indicate that the social ties of migrants have different effects on the different dimensions of their settlement intention. The social ties of migrants play an important role in their permanent settlement and housing ownership intentions, but their effect on hukou transfer intentions is relatively weak. Additionally, our research discovered that supportive social ties play a more important role than do interactive social ties in shaping migrants' settlement intention. Highlights • Rural migrants who retain kin-based and home-based ties with other migrants in destination cities tend to have a weaker intention to settle in cities. • Rural migrants who maintain kin-based ties with local residents or actively construct social ties with non-kin local residents tend to have a stronger intention to settle in cities. • Compared to interactive social ties, supportive social ties play a more significant role in influencing migrants' settlement intention. • Rural migrants' social ties play different roles in different patterns with regard to settlement intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the residential mobility of China’s rural–urban migrants in light of evidence from Yangzhou, a medium-sized city in Jiangsu province. To evaluate the effects of forced moves induced by demolition-led redevelopment, these outcomes are compared to those of voluntary moves. The evaluation is specifically concerned with dwelling attributes and location characteristics. Dwelling attributes consist of tenure and housing facilities, while commuting distance, distance to the city centre and the length of a child’s trip to school comprise the location characteristics. Logistic regression of data from a 2012–2013 survey shows that a voluntary relocation and the intention to move prior to notification of intended demolition are likely to result in positive outcomes. The migrants’ relocation strategy involves making a trade-off between better dwelling attributes and a better location. When housing improvement is their major concern, they tend to move to peripheral areas. However, it seems that children’s educational opportunities are being factored into the trade-off. In that case, migrants purchase an apartment in a specific school district or at least move closer to it. For the sake of their children, they relegate other motives to second place. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper analyses the effects of residential relocation on China’s rural–urban migrants’ social networks in light of evidence from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. Our study contrasts voluntary moves with forced moves driven by demolition-led redevelopment of urban villages. Based on data from a survey conducted between 2012 and 2013, the regression analysis shows that voluntarily relocated migrants are more likely than forced movers to use phone/computer to contact their former neighbours, and communication technology allows them to maintain the frequency of their contact. Furthermore, when moving to a gated neighbourhood, voluntary movers are more likely than forced movers to participate in public activities, to have more contact with new neighbours and thereby to get more help from the residents’ committee and new neighbours. The results suggest that forced moves have negative effects on migrants’ social networks in the neighbourhood and that the demolition-led redevelopment programmes do not promote the migrants’ integration in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]