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The Causal Effects of Urban-to-Urban Migration on Left-behind Children’s Well-Being in China

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  • Nan Lu

    (School of Economics and Management, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
    Jiangsu Yangtze River Economic Belt Research Institute, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
    Shanghai Metropolitan Area Research Institute, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Wenting Lu

    (School of Economics and Management, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Renxing Chen

    (Center for Quality of Life and Public Policy Research, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
    School of Political Science and Public Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China)

  • Wanzhi Tang

    (Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada)

Abstract

As China’s urbanization process deepens, more and more residents of small and medium-sized cities are moving to large cities, and the number of left-behind children is increasing. In this paper, using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), a nationally representative survey sample, we examine the well-being of left-behind children with urban household registration at the junior high school level and the causal effects of parental migration on their well-being. Research findings indicate that children who are left behind in urban areas are at a disadvantage in most aspects of their well-being compared to urban non-left-behind children. We examine the determinants of urban household registration for left-behind children. Children in families with lower socioeconomic status, more siblings, and poorer health were more likely to be left behind. In addition, our counterfactual framework reveals that, on average, staying behind negatively impacts the well-being of urban children, based on the propensity score matching (PSM) method. Compared to non-migrant children, left-behind children had significantly lower physical health, mental health, cognitive ability, academic performance, school affiliation, and relationships with their parents.

Suggested Citation

  • Nan Lu & Wenting Lu & Renxing Chen & Wanzhi Tang, 2023. "The Causal Effects of Urban-to-Urban Migration on Left-behind Children’s Well-Being in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-14, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:5:p:4303-:d:1083141
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    References listed on IDEAS

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