How attitudes from urban residents shape settlement plans of rural-to-urban migrants in China: the role of hukou

In the international context, considerable attention has been paid to majorities’ attitudes towards immigrants, emphasising the critical role such social context plays in shaping the lives and well-being of immigrants. However, these research perspectives have been particularly neglected in studies on domestic migrants, even though internal migrants in developing countries like India and China encounter severe discrimination in their destinations. Specifically, the effect of natives’ attitudes on out-groups’ migration/settlement has been underexamined. Based on the China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this article tackles the two research gaps. It studies how local-hukou residents’ hostility and acceptance of migrants affect the intention of permanent settlement among rural-to-urban migrants. Moreover, it tests how the effect of attitudes varies within different contexts and among various groups of rural-to-urban migrants. Last, the study reveals that place attachment and place identity are pathways through which the acceptance from local-hukou residents affect the settlement intentions of rural-to-urban migrants. The study adds knowledge to the effects of inter-group relationships on the settlement decisions of migrants in the Chinese context, emphasising the distinctive roles of hostility and acceptance in shaping the plans to settle in destination cities among rural-to-urban migrants.