Return Intention, Subjective Social Status and Residential Choices of Rural Migrant Worker Households: Evidence from China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rural migrant workers constitute special groups in China whose hukou (household registration) is still in rural areas, but they engage in non-agricultural industry in towns or cities. Based on panel data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) in 2012 and 2014, we estimate the effects of return intention and the subjective social status on the residential choices of rural migrant worker households by using a Heckman two-stage model. The results show that return intention has a negative effect on the tenure choices of rural migrant worker households in China but a positive effect on their neighbourhood choices. Furthermore, their residential choices are affected not only by their objective social status (education, occupation, income, etc.) but also by their subjective social status. The subjective social status has a positive effect on the tenure choices of rural migrant worker households in China but a negative effect on their neighbourhood choices.