Social Networks: What Helps and What Limits?

This chapter reports the results of exploratory research into the social networks and their impacts on the health and health services access of rural–urban migrants. This chapter analyzes the nature and composition of social networks among rural–urban migrants, explains the reasons leading to the social networks of migrants, discusses the barriers/facilitators to the establishment of the social networks in migration and the subsequent impacts on health and health care access, assesses the types of support and constraints resulting from the social networks on health services access, and also develops ideas for further research on urban social policy and health for the rural–urban migrants in China.