How families affect aspirational migration amidst political insecurity: The case of Hong Kong

Abstract

AbstractThe migration literature has examined migrants' political motivations separately from their family's mobility strategies in the face of macro‐political uncertainties. Bridging the two bodies of literature, this study analyses how parental status moderates the relationship between individual political considerations and migration intentions in an increasingly tense political climate. Based on the quantitative data on political protests in Hong Kong, we find that migration intention increases both with mobilisation by protestors and repression by the government. While more active protestors are less likely to migrate, parents who have participated in the protests tend to have a stronger intention to migrate. Our qualitative data explain that despite parent protestors' commitment to the pro‐democratic protests, their encounters with law enforcement create a strong migration intention to ensure their children's political freedom and physical safety. While pro‐government citizens have less intention to migrate than pro‐democracy citizens, both are likely to migrate if they have children. Interviews show that pro‐government citizens' migration hopes for their children's future are de‐politicised. Finally, future‐oriented characteristics of migration motivates parents to prioritise their children's prospects over their obligations to their ageing parents. This study therefore contributes to the understanding of the relationship among migration, politics, and family life.