Understanding the Settlement Intentions of the Floating Population in the Cities of Jiangsu Province, China

Abstract

The determinants of the settlement intentions of China's floating population have received increasing attention from the academic community and policymakers in recent years. Individuals' socio-demographic features and institutional factors, such as the household registration system ( hukou), have been explored in relation to the settlement intentions of the floating population. This paper examines how the characteristics of the destination cities influence the floating population's settlement intentions, an aspect which has not been considered by previous studies. Based on data from the 2010 Survey of Migrants' Settlement Intentions in Jiangsu Province, we find that after mega-cities, small cities are the second most popular destinations of the floating population in Jiangsu Province. Contrary to the expectations that migrants would prefer to settle in big cities, this paper suggests that migrants in small cities are more inclined to transfer their rural hukou to an urban one.