Interprovincial Migrants Research Articles

Examining the impact of inter-provincial migration on environmental health in China

China has a large volume of inter-provincial migrants, accounting for more than 11% of the total population. The economic benefits of inter-provincial migration have been well studied, whereas the health impacts related to environmental factors are generally ignored. In this study, the exposure-response function was used to estimate the health effects and the corresponding economic value was calculated by the adjusted-human-capital and cost-of-illness methods. Considering a scenario without personal protection, inter-provincial migration resulted in a reduction of 6114 premature deaths, 233.4 thousand hospitalization cases, and 1.5 million asthma attacks due to the PM2.5 population-weighted exposure decreasing by 3.94 μg m−3 in 2015. The avoided economic value of these health benefits was 0.02% of the national GDP in 2015. However, two-fifths of inter-provincial migrants whose destinations are areas with heavier pollution suffered greater health losses at the regional level. Additionally, personal protection does not significantly reduce the health loss. Thus, national pollution control measures are required to curb air pollution.

Urban Land Regulation and Heterogeneity of Housing Conditions of Inter-Provincial Migrants in China

The relation between urban land regulation and migrants’ access to decent housing is a fascinating topic in developing countries. Land-use conflicts emerge when entrepreneurial pursuits (for example, the exchange value of land) affect the fortunes of low-wage migrant workers using the destination city to settle down (through the use value of land). Land-use disputes and housing opportunity inequality (between the “land scarcity with migrant explosion” areas and the “land-abundant but migration-inactive” areas) is apparent across different kinds of cities. This article reviews the relationship between China’s urban land supply and regulation system and the migrant housing-condition problem. Our spatial analysis attests to the areal variance of migrant housing conditions (overcrowding and shortages of basic amenities such as toilet and kitchen facilities) across 301 Chinese cities. The analysis results explain the relationship between the inferior housing conditions in the coastal metropolises and the strict management of land uses in China’s first-tier cities. Using micro household data from the national 1% population sampling survey (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2015), this research provides a vivid case study at a large national scale to compare migrant housing amenity across different cities. This empirical study can advance understanding of the land-use disputes (exchange value vs. use value of urban land), which are an important structural root of housing inequality among different kinds of host cities (not merely among migrant workers themselves or across neighborhood scales). This macro-level variance of land demand, supply, and the regulation system proves the key challenge to achieving social harmony. Beyond a top-down land and housing system in China today, some more bottom-up and participatory migrant housing supply means (such as informal housing schemes such as “urban villages”) could be another way to address the above housing challenge. In this sense, we have mapped the migrants’ housing conditions in the Chinese top-down and marketization context, which can be contrasted with the informal and participatory housing supply in some other country contexts.

Acculturation strategies, age at migration, and self-rated health: An empirical study on internal migrants in China

Berry's bidimensional acculturation model categorizes acculturation status (integration, assimilation, separation, marginalization) by preference toward host and origin cultures. According to Berry's theory, different acculturation strategies yield different health outcomes, and age at migration moderates the relationship between acculturation and health outcome. Previous research has applied this model to understand acculturation's influence on international migrants' health outcomes, but rarely for internal migrants. This research examines these relationships using a national survey on Chinese internal migrants. Using propensity score weighting, the results align with previous findings that integration strategy-using migrants reported optimal health status, separation/assimilation strategy-using migrants reported suboptimal health, and marginalization strategy-using migrants reported the worst health, suggesting the model can explain health disparities among internal migrants. Moreover, older age at migration deteriorates health outcomes and moderates health disparities among migrants employing different acculturation strategies. However, age at migration's moderating effect is significant only among inter-provincial migrants. Embracing the host society inhibits health deterioration among inter-provincial migrants with older age at migration, whereas rejecting or embracing both societies facilitates health deterioration among intra-provincial migrants.

Spatial Heterogeneity of Housing Space Consumption in Urban China: Locals vs. Inter-and Intra-Provincial Migrants

The relationships between migration and housing congestion have attracted attention in engaging the public against the COVID-19 pandemic and some other public health crises. In recent years in China, promoting the citizenization (“shimin hua”) of migrants and improving the quality of urbanization have become the focus of attention in the new-type urbanization today. The housing space consumption of migrants is one of the important indices to look into regarding their real living status in the receiving cities: how do the housing consumption behavior and residential quality vary between the local, inter- and intra-provincial migratory patterns? This article uses the micro household data of the 1% population sampling survey conducted in 2015 by the National Bureau of Statistics of China to look into the spatial variance of the aggregate housing space consumption behaviors of the local and non-local population at the prefectural level and above in urban China. This study finds that: (a) the longer migratory pattern indicates a thriftier housing space consumption that implies a higher probability of residential overcrowding among the inter-provincial migrants; at the same time, the locals enjoy the greater living comfort than their migrant peers; (b) the spatial variance in terms of housing space consumption can be attributed to a series of destination city contexts, such as the geological background, city administrative rank, areal location, local-nonlocal demography, municipal economic growth, and the local residential development levels. The results show that the more “targeted” housing policies are needed to solve the housing difficulties with migrant workers for a goal of human-centered urbanization development. Although we lack the more detailed data-sets to examine the correlation between public health risks (like the COVID-19 pandemic) and housing congestion problems (especially with the population on the move), this research is still illuminating in terms of how to cut down the public health risk in a highly mobile and rapidly urbanizing context like China.

The association between the supply and utilization of community-based primary care and child health in a context of hospital-oriented healthcare system in urban districts of Guangdong, China: a panel dataset, 2014\u20132016

BackgroundSince 2009, the Chinese government has been reforming the healthcare system and has committed to reinforcing increased use of primary care. To date, however, the Chinese healthcare system is still heavily reliant on hospital-based specialty care. Studies consistently show an association between primary care and improved health outcomes, and the same association is also found among the disadvantaged population. Due to the “hukou” system, interprovincial migrants in the urban districts are put in a weak position and become the disadvantaged. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate whether greater supply and utilization of primary care was associated with reduced child mortality among the entire population and the interprovincial migrants in urban districts of Guangdong province, China.MethodsAn ecological study was conducted using a 3-year panel data with repeated measurements within urban districts in Guangdong province from 2014 to 2016, with 178 observations in total. Multilevel linear mixed effects models were applied to explore the associations.ResultsHigher visit proportion to primary care was associated with reductions in the infant mortality rate and the under-five mortality rate in both the entire population and the interprovincial migrants (p < 0.05) in the full models. The association between visit proportion to primary care and reduced neonatal mortality rate was significant among the entire population (p < 0.05) while it was insignificant among the interprovincial migrants (p > 0.05).ConclusionsOur ecological study based in urban districts of Guangdong province found consistent associations between higher visit proportion to primary care and improvements in child health among the entire population and the interprovincial migrants, suggesting that China should continue to strengthen and develop the primary care system. The findings from China adds to the previously reported evidence on the association between primary care and improved health, especially that of the disadvantaged.

Trends and Characteristics of Inter-Provincial Migrants in Mainland China and Its Relation with Economic Factors: A Panel Data Analysis from 2011 to 2016

For areas facing challenges associated with migration, information about the number of migrants and their demographic characteristics is needed to formulate regional development planning. This study analyzed the trends and characteristics of inter-provincial migrants in provinces in mainland China and related economic factors using panel regression models. The results showed that the number of inter-provincial migrants had increased in provincial municipalities, as had the proportions of female and elderly migrants. A higher annual net migration rate was associated with slower growth rate of real gross domestic product (RGDP) per capita and faster growth rates of the tertiary and secondary industry GDPs. The higher proportion of female migrants was related to the faster growth rate of the tertiary industry GDP and the lower proportion of the secondary industry in GDP. The proportion of youth migrants was positively related to educational investment, while the proportion of elderly migrants was positively related to financial expenditure per capita on culture and recreation. These empirical results were robust across different estimation methods, except the result about the proportion of elderly migrants. These findings further reveal the association between inter-provincial migration and economy and provide policy reference for the management of migrants.

Household Split, Income, and Migrants’ Life Satisfaction: Social Problems Caused by Rapid Urbanization in China

Household split between rural and urban areas has become an important social issue in China’s urbanization process. This study analysed the influence of household split on migrants’ life satisfaction and the differences between inter- and intra-provincial migrants. Using the data of the 2014 China Migrants Dynamic Survey, we found that the life satisfaction of inter-provincial migrants was significantly lower than that of intra-provincial migrants. For inter-provincial migrants, the life satisfaction of those who moved to the city with underaged children was significantly lower than that of those who left their children in their hometown. Moreover, the life satisfaction of migrants who were concerned about childcare in the hometown was significantly lower than that of those who did not worry about it. Chinese migrants face a dilemma: bringing their family members to the city despite the lack of social welfare support or leaving them in the hometown worrying about family care. We also found that family income does not have a significant moderating effect on the decline in life satisfaction owing to concerns about childcare in the hometown. Future policy concerning China’s population should create external conditions for migrants to accomplish family reunion.

Social adaptation and adaptation pressure among the "drifting elderly" in China: A qualitative study in Shanghai.

In China, a population of "drifting elderly" that is mainly composed of older parents who migrate for nonemployment reasons has emerged and developed rapidly. The need to understand their social adaptation after migration is well recognized but neglected, so we explored this in the current study. A qualitative study using a grounded theory approach was undertaken involving 53 elderly interprovincial migrants in five districts of Shanghai from July 2016 to May 2018. This involved in-depth interviews with participants. Adaptation of the drifting elderly and their motivations for migrating were studied, and differences in daily life when compared with before migrating, difficulties encountered after migrating, and social-adaptation pressure were analyzed. The drifting elderly had poor adaptation regarding self-identity, daily activities, and social context. The adaptation process regarding daily life, social relationships, and obtaining social support was difficult. They experienced both proximate adaptation pressure (induced by providing and/or obtaining social support) and evolutionary adaptation pressure (induced by mismatch and/or constraints). The social adaptation of the drifting elderly was affected by differences in daily life when compared with before migrating, and adaptation pressure was caused by both proximate and evolutionary factors. The decision to migrate was the result of a rational principle of maintaining the intergenerational support structure, and it was influenced by the evolutionary advantage related to maintaining this structure. Strengthening social support for the drifting elderly is necessary to promote their adaptation.

Short‐term relocation versus long‐term migration: Implications for economic growth and human capital change

AbstractDriven by the growth of Canada's resource sector, interprovincial employees (IPEs), or individuals who work in one province and reside in another, have emerged as the main source for interprovincial worker mobility within Canada, with their numbers far exceeding the number of interprovincial migrants (individuals who permanently relocate from one province to another) on a yearly basis. As such, IPEs represent a significant number of workers and play an increasingly important role in the Canadian labour market, enabling individuals to respond to skill shortages and job opportunities over both the short and long term. This paper contrasts these two groups using a number of measures commonly used to characterise interprovincial migration. Results reveal that although the two groups are broadly similar, there are also subtle differences between the two groups, including differences in the age migration schedule and other sociodemographic characteristics of IPEs.

Analysis of health service utilization of migrants in Beijing using Anderson health service utilization model

BackgroundMigrants are the unique production of China’s urbanization process. They are often excluded from social welfare and security systems of cities, and often exposed to high health risk related closely to their health problems. This research sought to unveil and explore the influencing factors on health services utilization of migrants in Beijing.MethodsA sample of 2014 inter-provincial migrants and 4578 residents with Beijing “Hukou” who were 15 years old and above was chosen by three-stage stratified cluster sampling method. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews. Anderson health service utilization model was used to demonstrate the effects of the explanatory variables on health seeking behavior from predisposing, enabling and need variables.ResultsThe study reveals that the rate of ‘having symptoms’ of migrants was lower than that of residents with “Hukou” only in the group of 25 to 34 years old in the past month. 503 migrants (25.0%) and 1441 (31.5%) residents with “Hukou” reported at least one episode of discomfort in the past month, and the rate of health service seeking behavior among migrants (46.8%) was lower than residents with “Hukou” (62.6%) (P < 0.0001). Chi-square independence test shows that age, ethnicity, employment status, having chronic disease and the degree of symptom were the major determinants affecting migrants to receive health services. The binary logistic regression indicates that the degree of symptom as the need variable and ethnicity as the predisposing variable were the strong and consistent determinants of health services seeking behavior. The migrants with moderate degree and severe degree of symptom in the past month were at 1.623-times (OR = 1.623) and 5.035-times (OR = 5.035) higher chances of seeking health services respectively, comparing to mild degree of symptom. Minority migrants were less likely to seek health services than Han migrants (OR = 0.282).ConclusionsThe results indicate that the current health delivery system is not conducive for migrants to seek appropriate health services. Relevant policies and feasible measures, including increasing the coverage of health insurance and improving the health perception of migrants should be vigorously implemented to provide affordable health services and change health service utilization behaviors for migrants.

Linguistic mortality gradients in Quebec and the role of migrant composition.

Anglophones and Allophones in Quebec (Canada) have lower mortality than Francophones, despite being linguistic minorities. This study assesses whether (1) language is a risk factor for mortality after accounting for migrant composition and (2) interprovincial migrants differ in mortality with respect to Quebec-born individuals. We analyzed death records between 2004 and 2008 from Quebec (all-cause and main causes) and population data from the 2006 census to estimate age-adjusted mortality rates according to language and migrant status. Risk ratios by language and migrant status, adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status, were estimated using Poisson generalized estimating equations. Francophone Quebec-borns had the highest mortality. Among Quebec-borns, Anglophones [RR= 0.85, 95% CI (0.79-0.91)] and Allophones [RR = 0.16, 95 %CI (0.12-0.22)] had lower mortality relative to Francophones. Interprovincial migrants had lower mortality (Anglophones [RR = 0.58, 95% CI (0.53-0.63)], Francophones [RR = 0.55, 95% CI (0.50-0.60)]) relative to Francophone Quebec-borns (Allophones were excluded due to small sample size). Among immigrants, mortality was lower for Francophones [RR = 0.62, 95% CI (0.57-0.67] and Allophones [RR = 0.35, 95% CI (0.31-0.38], but not Anglophones [RR = 0.92, 95% CI (0.84-1.01)], relative to Francophone Quebec-borns. In Quebec, linguistic disparities in mortality remained after accounting for migrant status, and both Francophone and Anglophone interprovincial migrants in Quebec had lower mortality than Quebec-born Francophones. Public health initiatives to reduce linguistic disparities in health should account for migrant status.

Where are the migrants from? Inter- vs. intra-provincial rural-urban migration in China

Using a representative sample of rural migrants in cities, this paper investigates where the migrants in urban China come from, paying close attention to intra-provincial vs. inter-provincial migrants, and examining the differences in their personal attributes. We find that migrants who have come from within the province differ significantly from those who have come from outside of the province. Using a nested logit model, we find that overall, higher wage differentials, larger population size, higher GDP per capita, and faster employment growth rate are the attributes of a city that attract rural-to-urban migrants. In addition, moving beyond one's home province has a strong deterrent effect on migration, analogous to the “border effect” identified in international migration studies. We also explore the role of culture, institutional barriers, and dialect in explaining such a pronounced “border effect”.

Effect of internal migration on the environment in China

We examine the effect of inter-provincial migration on air and water pollution for a panel of Chinese provinces over the period 2000–2013. To do so, we employ linear and non-linear panel data models in a Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) framework. Results from linear and non-linear models suggest that inter-provincial migration has contributed to pollution. Second-generation linear panel data model results suggest that for every additional 10,000 inter-provincial migrants, chemical oxygen demand (COD) increases 0.27–0.58%, sulphur dioxide (SO2) increases 0.08–0.25% and aggregate waste disposed (WST) increases 0.04–0.26%. Non-linear threshold panel model results suggest that for every additional 10,000 inter-provincial migrants, COD increases 0.2–0.5%, SO2 increases 0.10–0.20% and WST increases 3.1–4.2%.

Where are Migrants from? Inter- vs. Intra-Provincial Rural-Urban Migration in China

Using a representative sample of rural migrants in cities, this paper investigates where the migrants in urban China come from, paying close attention to intra-provincial vs. inter-provincial migrants, and examining the differences in their personal attributes. We find that migrants who have come within the province differ significantly from those who have come from outside of the province. Using a nested logit model, we find that overall, higher wage differentials, larger population size, higher GDP per capita, and faster employment growth rate are the attributes of a city that attract migrants from both within and outside province. In addition, moving beyond one’s home province has a strong deterrent effect on migration, analogous to the “border effect” identified in international migration studies. We also explore the role of culture, institutional barrier, and dialect in explaining such a pronounced “border effect”.

Location Preference in Migration Decision: Evidence from 2013 China Household Finance Survey

In the presence of rapid urbanization, labor flow from urban to urban areas has become more prevalent in contemporary China. Understanding the group of urban to urban migrants is a crucial step to develop an efficient policy for sustainable economic growth in the ensuing decades. This article investigates the individual migration decision and preference for metropolitan areas in urban China. Compared to eastern China residents, individuals from interior areas have a significantly higher propensity to migrate, even after controlling for the income and welfare level of their home provinces. However, urban interprovincial migrants have reduced their moving propensity to mega cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, by 11 percent within the most recent five years. Our finding suggests that central China is experiencing a massive out-migration and is encountering a high risk of high-skill labor loss.

Vitality and ethnolinguistic attitudes of Acadians, Franco-Ontarians and Francophone Quebecers: two or three solitudes in Canada's bilingual belt?

ABSTRACTDo French-Canadian (FC) minorities in New Brunswick and Ontario remain as committed as majority Francophone Quebecers in developing their vitality within Canada's bilingual belt? FCs constitute host communities for interprovincial migrants of FC and English-Canadian (EC) background who can bolster or weaken the vitality of FCs. How FCs and ECs welcome each other as internal migrants has important consequences for Canadian nation-building, and harmonious relations between Francophones and Anglophones as official language communities. Questionnaires were completed by three groups of FC undergraduates: Francophone Quebecers (n = 204), Acadians (n = 227), and Franco-Ontarians (n = 227). All FC respondents identified positively as Francophones while declaring strong language skills in French and reported using more French than English in their everyday lives. FC respondents were more willing to personally mobilize to improve their French-Canadian vitality than outgroup EC vitality. FC participants felt more threatened by the presence of EC than FC migrants, preferred Francophone more than Anglophone migrants, and perceived that FC migrants contributed more to their ingroup vitality than did EC migrants. Implications are discussed based on the ‘two solitudes’ and 'three solitudes' hypotheses, and on the relationship between intergroup threat, zero-sum beliefs and the rejection by FCs of EC migrants.

Canadian migration destinations of recent immigrants and interprovincial migrants: similarities, differences and explanations

Abstract Canadian Census data for 1981–2006 is used to document substantial differences in the destination locations of immigrants and interprovincial migrants. These differences have increased over time as have differences in the characteristics of the two migrant groups. Differences in age, education, and marital status of the two migrant groups explain little of the observed differences. Visible minority status and language differences are somewhat more important; however, much of the difference in migrant group destinations cannot be explained by measured characteristics.

Spatial patterns, driving forces, and urbanization effects of China’s internal migration: County-level analysis based on the 2000 and 2010 censuses

China has witnessed unprecedented urbanization over the past decades. The rapid expansion of urban population has been dominantly contributed by the floating population from rural areas, of which the spatiotemporal patterns, driving forces, and multidimensional effects are scrutinized and evaluated in this study by using the latest national censuses conducted in 2000 and 2010. Analysis based on the county-level data comes to conclusions as follows. The spatial pattern of floating population has remained stable over the first decade of the new century. The top 1% cities with the largest floating population received 45.5% of all migrants in China. As the rapid development of mega-city regions, the coastal concentration areas of floating population tended to geographically united as a whole, whereas the spatial distribution of migrants within each region varied significantly. The migrant concentration area in the Yangtze River Delta was the largest and its expansion was also the most salient. However, the floating population has growingly moved into provincial capitals and other big cities in the inland regions and its gravity center has moved northward for around 110 km during the study period. The spatial pattern of floating population has been formed jointly by the state and market forces in transitional China and the impacts of state forces have been surpassed by those of market forces in the country as a whole. The attractiveness of coastal cities and counties to the floating population comes mainly from the nonagricultural employment opportunities and public services, reflecting that long-distance and long-term migrants have moved coastward not only to gain employment but also to enjoy city life. By contrast, in the central and western regions, places with a higher economic development level and at a higher administrative level are more attractive to floating populations, demonstrating that the state remains to play an important role in allocating economic resources and promoting regional development in inland China. As the main body of new urban residents, the floating population has contributed substantially to the elevation of the urbanization levels of migrant-sending and -receiving places, by 20.0% and 49.5% respectively. Compared with extensively investigated interprovincial migrants, intra-provincial migrants have higher intention and ability to permanently live in cities and thus might become the main force of China’s urbanization in the coming decades. The internal migration has also reshaped China’s urban system in terms of its hierarchical organization and spatial structure.

The role of Yum Cha (Cantonese morning tea) in the integration process among interprovincial migration in China

China’s recent interprovincial migrants are the result of the institutional reform of its hukou system. This research analyses one of the interprovincial migrants’ leisure activities, yum cha, to explore the meaning of leisure for their adaptation and integration to the receiving society. This research aims at two key questions: what access interprovincial migrants obtain from yum cha to social contact and how migrants conceive of this leisure experience. The main findings are based on semi-structural interviews conducted in several restaurants in Guangzhou city. The interpretations of interprovincial migrants’ leisure experience in urban China are concluded into four themes: learning the local dialect and customs; building and maintaining a social group; the reconstruction of individual identity; and the development of a sense of belonging.

Interprovincial migration in China, 1985–2005: a gravity modeling approach

This paper tries to identify the characters that might affect interprovincial migrants’ decisions and examine how and why the influence of these characters changed over time individually and synthetically in China during 1985–2005. We have investigated six types of factors, namely, distance, population density, income, employment structure, house price, and migration stock. In addition, we apply the identified factors with a multiple stepwise regression model to a longitudinal dataset, which consists of interprovincial migration flows over the last two decades in China. It is found that different factors have disparate impacts on migration in China, and they can be decomposed into push force in origin area and pull force in destination area. Factors shaping China’s interprovincial migration have shifted from traditional factors such as distance to economic factors such as income and employment structure. This paper suggests that more attention should be paid to obtain detailed migration data with spatial information and develop applicable models for migration processes. Our analysis provides references for development planners and policymakers to develop sound population policies to achieve regional sustainable development in China.