China Labor-force Dynamics Survey Research Articles

Research on the Influence of Informal Employment on Residents' Happiness in China: Empirical Analysis Based on CLDS Data.

The influence of informal employment on residents’ happiness has gained wide attention around the world. However, few studies focus on this topic in China. Using the 2016 wave of the China Labor Force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) data, we examined the effect of informal employment and its mechanisms on residents’ happiness in China. Our study shows there is a significant negative correlation between informal employment and residents’ happiness in China. Moreover, the correlation between informal employment and residents’ happiness is stronger for residents who are female, migrating, and with a rural household registration. In addition, we investigated possible mechanisms of the effect, including individual income, social respect, unemployment expectations, and social security, and found that informal employment reduces the happiness of residents by widening the gap in unemployment probability and social insurance level among residents.

Can Livestock Raising Alleviate Farmland Abandonment?—Evidence from China

Farmland abandonment is a global phenomenon. Changes in socioeconomic factors in China impact the traditional crop–livestock system; however, studies on the relationship between livestock raising and farmland abandonment are insufficient. This study used the farmer behavior decision-making model to analyze the impact of livestock raising on farmland abandonment and its mechanism. Based on 6707 samples from the 2016 database of the China Labor-force Dynamic Survey, the Logit and Tobit models were used to empirically analyze the relationship between livestock raising and farmland abandonment at the national level and different terrains (plain, hill and mountain) in China. The results showed farmland abandonment in 15.63% of rural households, and a farmland abandonment ratio of 6.24%. The spatial distribution of farmland abandonment was high in the south and low in the north. Livestock raising households accounted for 9.45%, and the influence coefficient of livestock raising on farmland abandonment was negative but not significant. Livestock raising would significantly increase the ratio of rural households with farmland abandonment by 3.9% and 10% in plain areas and hilly areas, respectively, and decrease the ratio in mountain areas by 11.4%. The abandonment ratio due to livestock raising increased by 21.46% in hilly areas and decrease by 41% in mountain areas. For every 1% increase in livestock scale, the ratio of households with farmland abandonment in plain and hilly areas increased by 0.05% and 0.07%, respectively, and in mountain areas decreased by 0.09%. The abandonment ratio in hilly areas increased by 0.02% and in mountain areas decreased by 0.05%. The effects of raising livestock on farmland abandonment differed across terrains and thus require different measures for alleviating. Plain areas and hilly areas could combine livestock raising and crop planting between different households to improve farmland production capacity, and mountain areas could moderately develop livestock raising to alleviate farmland abandonment.

Number of Children and Female Labor Participation in China.

The continuous decrease in the number of women of childbearing age and the consequent decrease in reproductive willingness have contributed to the continuous decrease in labor participation among Chinese women, which has negatively affected the stable socioeconomic development in terms of health. This paper deeply explores the intrinsic relationship between the number of children and women’s labor participation based on 2016 data from China Labor-force Dynamic Survey (CLDS). Our results show that there is an “inverted U-shaped” relationship between the number of children and the rate of women’s labor involvement; in other words, women’s labor participation shows a trend with the increase in the number of children, first rising and then falling; meanwhile, the relationship is more pronounced among women in eastern and central regions and towns. To this end, this study provides a theoretical research basis to effectively alleviate women’s selective pressure at home and work, and has a certain reference value for the Chinese government to improve women’s employment environment.

Internet use and land transfer in: empirical evidence from China's rural panel data.

In the context of the Internet power strategy, "Internet + agriculture" has gradually become a key force in realizing agricultural modernization. Based on the data of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey 2012, 2014, and 2016, this paper uses conditional mixed process (CMP) to solve the endogeneity problem and tests the impact and mechanism of Internet use on farmers' land transfer in. The results showed that (1) from 2012 to 2016, the proportion of farmers using the Internet increased in turn, while the proportion of farmers transferring in land decreased in turn. (2) Farmers' Internet use is significantly negatively correlated with land transfer in. In 2012, 2014, and 2016, each unit increase in the proportion of farmers' Internet use reduces the probability of land transfer in by 2.6%, 10.7%, and 20.8%, respectively. (3) The analysis of mediating effects shows that the Internet can promote land transfer in by expanding social networks and inhibit land transfer in by improving the stability of non-agricultural employment, and both are partial mediating effects. From the micro-perspective of farmers' Internet use, this study can strengthen our understanding of Internet use and land transfer behavior decision-making and then provide a reference for rural digitalization construction and land transfer-related policy making.

Rural Housing Rental Rates in China: Regional Differences, Influencing Factors, and Policy Implications

Through recognition and mastery of the regional differences and influencing factors of China’s rural housing rental rates, we can better understand changes in the functional attributes of homesteads and deepen the reform of “separating rural land ownership rights, contract rights, and management rights” of homesteads. Accordingly, this paper uses village residence data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey to measure the degree of regional differences in rural housing rental rates at the province level and empirically analyze the influencing factors with villages (residences) as measuring unit. The study yields four main findings. First, rural housing rental behavior exists to varying degrees in the vast majority of provinces nationwide. Second, according to the spatial distribution pattern, rural housing rental rates are generally high in the eastern coastal region and low in the central, western, and northeastern regions, mainly reflecting unique characteristics of the eastern region. Third, although the level of economic development is important, it is not the only factor explaining regional differences in rural housing rental rates. Fourth, rural housing rental rates are mainly influenced by a combination of three types of factors: physiographic, socioeconomic, and village governance factors. Among them, factors such as proximity to suburban areas, the proportion of non-local permanent residents, annual per capita income, and village infrastructure conditions have significant positive effects, whereas factors such as distance from administrative centers, reliance on funding from the higher-level authority of the village committee, and the degree of harmony between villages and cadres have significant negative effects. By interpreting the policy implications of these findings, we hope to provide a reference for localized, categorical reform of the homestead system.

The association among neighborhood mutual support, well-being, and social work

SummaryWith the increase in urbanization in China, people's neighborhood has an important influence on their well-being. This study aims to explore the impact of neighborhood mutual support on well-being from the perspective of social work. A total of 13,486 samples from the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey were utilized. The data were analyzed by the ordered logit model and propensity score matching while controlling for individual, family, and socioeconomic features.Findings(1) The more the neighborhood mutual support, the higher individuals' degree of well-being; this conclusion is robust. 2) Neighborhood mutual support has a larger improvement effect on the well-being of groups with low social status. (3) Neighborhood mutual support improves well-being through two mechanisms: it can grow an individual's support network, helping them obtain more material support, and it enhances individuals' integration into society, improving their well-being through increased feelings of community security. (4) The influence of neighborhood mutual support is weakened when a community has formal social support (full-time social workers) because individuals can resolve their problems through formal social support, reducing their reliance on neighbors.ApplicationsBased on the perspective of community development, understanding the influence of neighborhood mutual support on well-being is important. Social workers should adopt different intervention approaches according to characteristics of different groups to improve residents' level of neighborhood mutual support. Moreover, to promote community development, the government should consider arranging social work for less-developed communities.

The Effect of High-Speed Rail on Cropland Abandonment in China

This study analyzed Chinese labor-force survey data to determine the relationship between cropland abandonment and high-speed rail (HSR) infrastructure. A PSM-DID approach was employed to examine 2014 and 2016 data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey and estimate the impact of HSR, from which it was found that HSR accessibility promoted cropland abandonment in local farm households with a coefficient of 0.206, that is, HSR projects led to a 20.6% increase in area of cropland abandonment and these impacts were found to be greater in hilly areas and lower in plain areas. The results also suggested that HSR accessibility could have a “pull” effect, which resulted in rural labor force shifts to non-agricultural sectors in the local region. Countermeasures and policy suggestions are given to reduce cropland abandonment.

Influence of China's Overall Planning for Urban and Rural Medical Insurance on Citizen Health

Objectives: We conducted this study to make an empirical test of the influence of China's overall planning for urban and rural medical insurance on citizen health. Methods: Using the data of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) 2018, self-rated health was chosen as the proxy variable of citizen health status, and the obvious heterogeneity of the influence was measured by the ordered logit model. Results: After participating in the unified urban-rural medical insurance, the probability for citizens' self-rated health to increase by one or more levels grew by 0.21 times (OR = 1.21, p = .004). Further analysis revealed that after participating in the unified urban-rural medical insurance, the probability for males' self-rated health to increase by one or more levels grew by 0.23 times (OR = 1.23, p = .022); the probability for females' self- rated health to increase by one or more levels grew by 0.22 times (OR = 1.22, p = .045); the probability for rural citizens' self-rated health to increase by one or more levels grew by 0.25 times (OR = 1.25, p = .006); and, the probability for eastern China's citizens' self-rated health to increase by one or more levels grew by 0.28 times (OR = 1.28, p = .007). Conclusions: Participating in the unified urban-rural medical insurance program had a greater positive impact on the self-rated health of males than of females, on rural residents versus urban residents, and on eastern residents than central and western residents.

The Impact of Air Pollution on Residents' Happiness: A Study on the Moderating Effect Based on Pollution Sensitivity.

Promoting people’s happiness is a vital goal of public policy, and air pollution, as the focus of public opinion, is an important influencing factor of residents’ happiness. Although previous literature has explored the relationship between air pollution and happiness, the impact of pollution sensitivity on the relationship has so far received little attention. This paper uses the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey database (CLDS) to study the impact of air pollution on personal happiness and dissects the moderating effect of air pollution sensitivity from the stock and incremental perspectives. The results found that (1) there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between air pollution and residents’ happiness, such that happiness increases and then decreases with increasing air pollution. The PM10 concentration at the turning point is 119.69 μg/m3, which exceeds the national secondary standard limit (70 μg/m3) by 70.99% and is at the intermediate stage of mild pollution, exceeding the WHO recommended standard (20 μg/m3) by 498.45%, far higher than the international standard recommended level; (2) both air pollution stock sensitivity and incremental sensitivity have a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between air pollution and happiness, and pollution sensitivity exacerbates the negative effect of air pollution on residents’ happiness by shifting the curve turning point to the left and steepening the curve shape; (3) in addition, the effect of air pollution on different groups is significantly heterogeneous, with lower-age and male groups more likely to have lower happiness due to air pollution; the positive moderating effect of pollution sensitivity is more significant in lower-age, female, and higher-income groups. Therefore, in order to enhance residents’ happiness, the government should not only improve air quality, but also focus on helping residents establish an appropriate subjective perception of air quality.

The impact of long-term and short-term health shock on the labour supply and labour income of migrant workers in China: the mediating role of medical insurance

ABSTRACT Using national data from China Labour-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), we apply Heckman two-step model and instrumental variable method to analyse the impact of long-term and short-term health shock on the labour supply and labour income of migrant workers as well as the mediating effect of medical insurance. Results indicate that both long-term and short-term health shock significantly reduce the labour supply and labour income of migrant workers. In particular, the negative effect of short-term health shock on labour supply proves greater than that of long-term health shock, and the negative effect of long-term health shock on labour income proves greater than that of short-term health shock. Medical insurance mitigates the negative effect of short-term health shock on the labour supply and labour income of migrant workers, yet produces no remarkable mediating effect on migrant workers who suffer from long-term health shock.

Bridge of Rainbow: Association Between Internet-Based Social Media Use and Homosexuality Inclusion in China.

By using the nationally representative dataset of China Labor-force Dynamics Survey, this paper explored the relationship between internet-based social media use and Chinese people's homosexuality inclusion. Addressing endogeneity by using an instrumental variable approach, the results of instrumental variable-ordered probit model indicated that individuals' internet-based social media use had a positive and significant association with their homosexuality inclusion. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis revealed that the heterogeneous effects of internet-based social media use on homosexuality inclusion caused by income, gender, and region. The homosexuality inclusion of respondents with higher income, respondents of female gender, and respondents located in eastern region of China was found to be more evidently associated with internet-based social media use. The functional mechanism analysis suggested that the number of respondents' LGBT friends mediated the overall relationship between internet-based social media use and homosexuality inclusion. The robustness check showed that the results were robust cross different models. The findings in this paper provide new evidence that the effect of information technology development on individual perception and behavior in Chinese context.

Sustainable Livelihoods in Rural Areas under the Shock of Climate Change: Evidence from China Labor-Force Dynamic Survey

The threat of climate change to the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods is becoming more significant. Research on the impact of climate change on the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods could provide a scientific basis for enhancing farmers’ adaptability to climate change, reducing farmers’ livelihood vulnerability, and promoting the formulation of governmental adaptation strategies. Although studies have assessed the impact of climate change on the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods, their analysis units have been aggregated. Therefore, this study was grouped based on geographical location (north and south regions), and then an additional grouping was conducted according to the internal economic factors of each region. Using data from China’s labor-force dynamic survey as our sample, this study measured the sustainable livelihood in agricultural households. This research provided a method to quantify the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods based on measurements of poverty vulnerability. Additionally, using the annual average temperature as the core explanatory variable to describe climate change, this study evaluated the impact and heterogeneity of climate change on the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods and replaced the annual average temperature with the normalized vegetation index to conduct a robustness test. The empirical study showed that the average annual temperature significantly decreased the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods. The average annual temperature change had a greater impact on farmers in the southern provinces as compared to those in the north. Southern coastal regions, eastern coastal regions, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the northeast regions were the key areas of concern. Finally, considering the current risk vulnerability of farmers, we concluded that crop breeding should be oriented to the trend of climate change, farmers’ risk prevention awareness should be increased, financial tools should be enhanced to mitigate the impact of meteorological disasters, an appropriate sustainability developmental evaluation index should be implemented, and the construction of agrometeorological disaster prevention and mitigation infrastructure should be advanced.

Inequality of opportunity in earnings in rural China

This paper explores the role of ‘inequality of opportunity’ in individual earnings in rural China, which is attributed to ‘circumstantial’ factors over which individuals have no control, including family background, gender, ethnic minority status and region of birth. These circumstances are contrasted with ‘efforts’ or choices that individuals make, which also impact on their individual earnings. Utilising the China Labour-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) 2014, I measure the share of inequality of opportunity in the overall inequality of individual annual earnings for the entire sample and for each of four ten-year birth cohorts in rural China. The empirical results revealed that the share of inequality of opportunity in individual earnings for the full sample is 20.4% of the GE(0) coefficient. The adoption of machine learning methods provides a wide range of estimates between 16.4% (regression tress) and 25.4% (forests). Across all birth cohorts, gender is consistently the largest single contributor to inequality of opportunity, while family background is relatively more important for younger cohorts. A closer investigation indicates that those who find themselves in the worst circumstances are likely to exert lower level of effort, not because they don’t want to try harder, but because their circumstances prevent them from doing so.

Socio-economic inequalities in health service utilization among Chinese rural migrant workers with New Cooperative Medical Scheme: a multilevel regression approach

BackgroundWhile reducing inequity in health service utilization is an important goal of China’s health system, it has been widely acknowledged that a huge number of rural migrant workers cannot be effectually protected against risks with the New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance (NCMS).MethodData of the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamic Survey and the Chinese Urban Statistical Yearbook were used. The multilevel regression approach was implemented with a nationally representative sample of rural migrant workers with NCMS. Our study adopted the concentration index and its decomposition method to quantify the inequality of their health service utilization.ResultThe multilevel model analysis indicated that impact variables for health service utilization were not concentrated, especially the contextual and individual characteristics. The concentration indices of the probability of two weeks outpatient and the probability of inpatient were -0.168 (95%CI:-0.236,-0.092) and -0.072 (95%CI:-1.085,-0.060), respectively. The horizontal inequality indices for the probability of two-week outpatient and the probability of inpatient were -0.012 and 0.053, respectively.ConclusionThe health service utilization of rural migrant workers with NCMS is insufficient. Our study highlighted that substantial inequalities in their health service utilization did exist. In addition, their need of health service utilization increased the pro-poor inequality. Based on the findings, our study offered notable implications on compensation policies and benefit packages to improve the equality among rural migrant workers with NCMS.

The Effect of Built Environment on Physical Health and Mental Health of Adults: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in China.

At present, there is a lack of research examining the relationships between the built environment and health status from a social epidemiological perspective. With this in mind, the present study aimed to explore the construct validity of housing/neighborhood conditions and evaluate the associations between the built environment and self-rated health among Chinese residents. To conduct the analysis, data from 4906 participants were derived from the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS). Specifically, we used exploratory factor analysis to identify construct of housing/neighborhood factors and performed principal component regression (PCR) to assess the relationship between the built environment and both self-rated physical health and mental health. This process identified five common factors that corresponded to the built environment, including housing affordability, housing quality, neighborhood services, neighborhood physical environment, and perceived environment. The regression results suggested that housing affordability was negatively related to health status. Meanwhile, the services, physical environment, and perceived environment of neighborhoods were related to positive health outcomes. The influence of housing on health exhibits group heterogeneity: respondents in the 41 to 65 age group were most vulnerable to poor built environments. Whilst the results indicated that housing factors and neighborhood conditions were related to health outcomes, their influence varied across different age groups. Future interventions should be intentionally designed to target housing affordability and neighborhood factors, which may include the provision of housing assistance programs and planning layouts.

Can self-governance tackle the water commons? — Causal evidence of the effect of rural water pollution treatment on farmers' health in China

The rural water commons issue is related to the well-being of farmers. Some studies have identified self-governance as an effective solution to the water commons issue, but there is little evidence about rural water pollution treatment. Based on the theory of self-governance, this study empirically tests whether self-governance can effectively address rural water pollution from the perspective of farmers' health demands. Using data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), we examine the effect of self-governance of rural water pollution on farmers' health. The results reveal that the self-governance of rural water pollution has no significant effect on farmers' health. Further evidence demonstrates that farmers' individual treatment of rural water pollution significantly reduces the probability of illness. The central conclusion is that in the context of Chinese rural water pollution control, self-governance has not responded effectively to the water commons issue, and individual treatment does not necessarily lead to the tragedy of the commons. A combination of farmers' treatment behavior and its health effects may be a possible pathway to tackle the rural water commons issue.

Determinants of Differences in Health Service Utilization between Older Rural-to-Urban Migrant Workers and Older Rural Residents: Evidence from a Decomposition Approach.

Background: The widening gap in health service utilization between different groups in mainland China has become an important issue that cannot be avoided. Our study explored the existence of differences and the causes of the differences in the health service utilization of older rural-to-urban migrant workers in comparison to older rural dwellers. Further, our study explored socioeconomic differences in health service utilization. Methods: The data from the China Labor-Force Dynamic Survey in 2016, the data from the Urban Statistical Yearbook in 2016, and the Statistical Bulletin were used. Our study applied the latest Andersen Model according to China’s current situation. Before we studied health service utilization, we used Coarsened Exact Matching to control the confounding factors. After matching, 2314 respondents were successfully matched (859 older rural-to-urban migrant workers and 1455 older rural dwellers). The Fairlie decomposition method was used to analyze the differences and the sources of health service utilization between older rural-to-urban migrant workers and their rural counterparts. Results: After matching, the probability two-weeks outpatient for older rural-to-urban migrant workers (5.59%) was significantly lower than older rural dwellers (7.57%). The probability of inpatient for older rural-to-urban migrant workers (5.59%) was significantly lower than older rural dwellers (9.07%). Overall, 17.98% of the total difference for two-week outpatient utilization was due to the observed influence factors. Moreover, 71.88% of total difference in inpatient utilization was due to the observed influence factors. Income quantiles (49.57%), health self-assessments (80.91%), and the sex ratio in the community (−102.29%) were significant in the differences in inpatient utilization. Conclusions: The findings provide important insights into the socioeconomic differences in health service utilization among older rural-to-urban migrant workers and older rural residents in China. These insights urge the government to take full account of the heterogeneity in designing health security system reform and public health interventions targeting vulnerable groups.

Motherhood Health Penalty: Impact of Fertility on Physical and Mental Health of Chinese Women of Childbearing Age.

BackgroundThe negative consequences of childbearing on mothers are called the motherhood penalty, and it manifests in the aspects of women's physical and mental health. In May 2021, China relaxed its birth policy that allowed a married couple to have three children. It gives women the opportunity to have more children, but also may increase more risks to mothers' physical and mental health.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to clarify the relationships between the fertility and the physical/mental health of women of childbearing age and empirically confirm the existence of the motherhood health penalty in China.Materials and MethodsUsing a nationally representative dataset from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey 2018, we examined the effects of fertility on the physical and mental health of Chinese women of childbearing age. Physical health was self-rated, and mental health was assessed according to the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. The instrumental variable approach and the models of inverse probability of treatment weighting of propensity scores and regression adjustment were employed to overcome the endogeneity between fertility and health of women.ResultsThe empirical results showed that the total number of births had significant adverse impacts on the physical and mental health of women of childbearing age, which empirically demonstrated the existence of the motherhood health penalty in China. The results of heterogeneity analysis indicated that the physical and mental health of the rural women was more easily affected by childbearing compared with that of the urban samples. In a mechanism analysis, the pathways of income and the multiple roles played by mothers were found to mediate the impacts of the total number of births on the physical and mental health of women. The robustness checks showed that the results of this study were robust.ConclusionsThe findings of this study extend the motherhood penalty to the health domain, and they have important implications for improving healthcare policy for women of childbearing age in China and other countries and regions and promoting gender equality in the healthcare field.

Escape from air pollution: How does air quality in the place of residence shape tourism consumption?

Air quality has been demonstrated to be an important determinant influencing tourist decision making. In this paper, we investigate the effect of air quality in the place of origin on a resident’s tourism consumption and the moderating effect of household income on this relationship. We develop a conceptual framework to rationalize the effect and empirically examine it at the household level using China Labor-force Dynamics Survey data from 2016. The results show that poor ambient air quality increases tourism consumption. Furthermore, this relationship becomes stronger for the higher-income group: One standard deviation increase in the Air Quality Index would increase tourism expenditure as much as a 22.56% increase in family income. The methods of instrumental variable and functional-coefficient regression were employed for robustness analysis. These findings contribute to the literature by providing a new perspective for tourism demand studies and direct implications for tourism management and policy making.

Cooking fuel choices and subjective well-being in rural China: Implications for a complete energy transition

This paper examines the impacts of cooking fuel choices on individuals' subjective well-being, measured by happiness and life satisfaction, using open-access data from the 2016 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey. We analyze the impacts by employing a multivalued treatment effects model that accounts for selectivity bias. Unlike previous studies that consider households' binary fuel use decisions or specific fuel choices, we capture the households' fuel-stacking behaviors (using multiple fuels) by classifying cooking fuels into clean fuels, non-clean fuels, and mixed-fuels. The empirical results show that complete energy transition (i.e., switching from either non-clean fuels or mixed fuels to clean fuels) significantly improves individuals' happiness and life satisfaction. In comparison, incomplete energy transition (i.e., shifting from non-clean fuels to mixed fuels) does not significantly impact individuals' subjective well-being. A complete energy transition increases people's subjective well-being in the eastern and central parts of China but has no impact on those living in western China. Furthermore, switching from non-clean fuels to clean fuels significantly reduces happiness inequality and life satisfaction inequality. Switching to cleaner fuels also significantly increases individuals' self-reported health. We recommend that the government in China make concerted efforts to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and clean energy sources and accelerate rural households' energy transition.