IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsoctx/v15y2025i8p226-d1726390.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

To Stay or to Migrate: Driving Factors and Formation Mechanisms of Rural Households’ Decisions Regarding Rural–Urban Student Migration in China

Author

Listed:
  • Ruonan Wang

    (Research Institute for Ecological Civilization, Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, Chengdu 610072, China)

  • Hui Qiao

    (Rural Development Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100732, China)

  • Jinyang Wei

    (School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China)

  • Fengtian Zheng

    (School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China)

Abstract

Rural–urban student migration during the compulsory education stage is a transitional phenomenon in China’s socio-economic development and a crucial issue for achieving the goal of urban–rural integration. This paper, grounded in theoretical analysis, constructs a “willingness-capacity-behavior” framework. Based on field survey data from 916 rural households and in-depth interview materials from County D, Province X, China, this study employs a bivariate Probit model and qualitative analysis methods to explore the driving factors and formation mechanisms of rural households’ rural–urban student migration decisions. The results indicate that rural households’ decisions regarding rural–urban student migration are jointly influenced by migration willingness and migration capacity. Only households with both migration willingness and migration capacity can actualize migration behavior. Migration willingness is derived from a cost–benefit analysis and involves joint decision-making by both parents, significantly influenced by parental personal characteristics and the student’s individual characteristics. The intermediate barriers to rural–urban student migration require certain migration capacities to be overcome, which are mainly influenced by family resource endowment and parental personal characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruonan Wang & Hui Qiao & Jinyang Wei & Fengtian Zheng, 2025. "To Stay or to Migrate: Driving Factors and Formation Mechanisms of Rural Households’ Decisions Regarding Rural–Urban Student Migration in China," Societies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-23, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:15:y:2025:i:8:p:226-:d:1726390
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/8/226/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/8/226/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Emily Hannum, 2005. "Market transition, educational disparities, and family strategies in rural china: New evidence on gender stratification and development," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 42(2), pages 275-299, May.
    2. Gary S. Becker & H. Gregg Lewis, 1974. "Interaction between Quantity and Quality of Children," NBER Chapters, in: Economics of the Family: Marriage, Children, and Human Capital, pages 81-90, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Rafael Lalive & M. Alejandra Cattaneo, 2009. "Social Interactions and Schooling Decisions," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(3), pages 457-477, August.
    4. Jonathan Temple, 2005. "Dual Economy Models: A Primer For Growth Economists," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 73(4), pages 435-478, July.
    5. Zhang, Huafeng, 2017. "Opportunity or new poverty trap: Rural-urban education disparity and internal migration in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 112-124.
    6. Min Wu & Mengyun Jin & Luyao Zeng & Yihao Tian, 2022. "The Effects of Parental Migrant Work Experience on Labor Market Performance of Rural-Urban Migrants: Evidence from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, September.
    7. Petra E. Todd & Kenneth I. Wolpin, 2003. "On The Specification and Estimation of The Production Function for Cognitive Achievement," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(485), pages 3-33, February.
    8. Alan de Brauw & John Giles, 2017. "Migrant Opportunity and the Educational Attainment of Youth in Rural China," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(1), pages 272-311.
    9. Yiyue Huangfu, 2024. "Return Migration of Rural-Urban Migrant Children in China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(3), pages 1-27, June.
    10. Lépine, Aurélia & Strobl, Eric, 2013. "The Effect of Women’s Bargaining Power on Child Nutrition in Rural Senegal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 17-30.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Deborah A. Cobb-Clark & Nicolás Salamanca & Anna Zhu, 2019. "Parenting style as an investment in human development," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(4), pages 1315-1352, October.
    2. repec:iae:iaewps:wp2016n3 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Sandrine A. Koissy-Kpein, 2015. "Gender-based violence and gender bias in schooling decision: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-107, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Christian T. Litchepah & Issidor. Noumba & Mohammadou. Nourou, 2022. "Does reducing violence against women improve children’s health? The case of Cameroon," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(6), pages 187-194, June.
    5. Sandrine A. Koissy-Kpein, 2015. "Gender-based violence and gender bias in schooling decision: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series 107, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Yao Pan & Jessica Leight, 2021. "Educational Responses to Migration-Augmented Export Shocks: Evidence from China," Working Papers 2021-14, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    7. Frank Agyire-Tettey & Derek Asuman & Charles Godfred Ackah & Antoinette Tsiboe-Darko, 2021. "Multidimensional Child Poverty in Ghana: Measurements, Determinants, and Inequalities," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(3), pages 957-979, June.
    8. Dustmann, Christian & Glitz, Albrecht, 2011. "Migration and Education," Handbook of the Economics of Education, in: Erik Hanushek & Stephen Machin & Ludger Woessmann (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Education, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 0, pages 327-439, Elsevier.
    9. Shuang Chen, 2022. "The Positive Effect of Women’s Education on Fertility in Low-Fertility China," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(1), pages 125-161, March.
    10. Headey, Derek D. & Jayne, T.S., 2014. "Adaptation to land constraints: Is Africa different?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 18-33.
    11. Kaestner, Robert & Grossman, Michael, 2009. "Effects of weight on children's educational achievement," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 651-661, December.
    12. Zheyuan Zhang & Hui Xu & Ruilin Liu & Zhong Zhao, 2025. "Free education and the intergenerational transmission of cognitive skills in rural China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(1), pages 1-30, March.
    13. Anne Villamil & Xiaobing Wang & Yuxiang Zou, 2020. "Growth and development with dual labor markets," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 88(6), pages 801-826, December.
    14. Yuan, Cheng & Zhang, Lei, 2015. "Public education spending and private substitution in urban China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 124-139.
    15. Ding, Xiaozhou, 2021. "College education and internal migration in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    16. C. Dannemann & Erkan Goeren, 2018. "The Educational Burden of ADHD: Evidence From Student Achievement Test Scores," Working Papers V-408-18, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Apr 2018.
    17. Xin Meng & Nancy Qian, 2009. "The Long Term Consequences of Famine on Survivors: Evidence from a Unique Natural Experiment using China's Great Famine," NBER Working Papers 14917, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Rasmussen, Astrid Würtz, 2009. "Allocation of Parental Time and the Long-Term E¤ect on Children's Education," Working Papers 09-22, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Economics.
    19. Leonard Goff & Ofer Malamud & Cristian Pop-Eleches & Miguel Urquiola, 2016. "Interactions Between Family and School Environments: Evidence on Dynamic Complementarities?," NBER Working Papers 22112, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Golley, Jane & Kong, Sherry Tao, 2018. "Inequality of opportunity in China's educational outcomes," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 116-128.
    21. Eibich, Peter & Siedler, Thomas, 2020. "Retirement, intergenerational time transfers, and fertility," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:15:y:2025:i:8:p:226-:d:1726390. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.