Identifying and Understanding Distinctive Political Attitudes of Chinese Migrant Workers: A Research Note

Abstract

ObjectiveThe objectives are to (1) determine the extent to which problem priorities of migrant workers differ from attitudes of both nonmigrating rural peasants and urban workers and (2) attempt to explain those differences as resulting from either relative deprivation or relative awareness.MethodsUsing data from a nationwide representative survey of Chinese adults, analyses include both cross‐tabulation and multiple regression.ResultsRural migrants are indeed significantly more likely than at‐home peasants to give high priority to solving several “economic” problems as well as environmental pollution and crime.ConclusionThe problem identifications of hundreds of millions of rural migrant workers have plausibly been altered by their experience as rural‐to‐urban migrants. Of broader theoretical significance, the findings of this study suggest not only that citizens’ attitudes can be shaped significantly by their environment, but that change in a citizen's attitudes may result when a citizen experiences a dramatic change in environment.