Effects and Mechanisms of Rural‒Urban Migration on Health in China

Rural‒urban migration is accompanied by urbanization in China, and its effect on individual well-being has received much scholarly attention. However, research on whether and how rural‒urban migration affects rural migrants’ health is still lacking. Using nationally representative data from three waves of the China Labor Force Dynamic Survey, this research investigates the impact of rural‒urban migration on the health of rural migrants and its potential mechanisms. We find that controlling for the endogeneity issue, rural‒urban migration has a negative impact on rural migrants’ health, lowering their self-rated health (SRH) and increasing their probability of illness. Analyses of potential mechanisms show that subjective social status is crucial in explaining the negative effects of rural‒urban migration on SRH and illness. To better understand the health deterioration of rural‒urban migrants, the local social and cultural contexts in China should be considered so that targeted measures can be implemented to promote migrants’ health more effectively.