Frontiers in Psychology
Volume 8, Issue MAY, 2017

The effects of objective and subjective socioeconomic status on subjective well-being among rural-to-urban migrants in China: The moderating role of subjective social mobility (Article) (Open Access)

Huang S.* , Hou J. , Sun L. , Dou D. , Liu X. , Zhang H.
  • a Institute of Developmental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
  • b School of Sociology and Psychology, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
  • c School of Sociology and Psychology, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
  • d School of Sociology and Psychology, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
  • e Institute of Developmental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
  • f School of Sociology and Psychology, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China

Abstract

Although previous investigations have agreed that Chinese rural-to-urban migrants' socioeconomic status (SES) increases with their migration, the association between SES and subjective well-being is uncertain. To address this research gap, the present study proposed that the association between objective SES and subjective well-being is mediated by subjective SES. This model was tested with a sample of 432 Chinese rural-to-urban migrants. The results indicate a significant association between objective SES and subjective well-being and a partial mediating effect of subjective SES. Furthermore, subjective social mobility, which is one's expectation about the possibility to move upward in the social hierarchy, was found to moderate both the direct path from objective SES to subjective well-being and the indirect path from subjective SES to subjective well-being. These findings suggest that Chinese rural-to-urban migrants gained in subjective well-being not only because of direct financial achievement but also because of their perceptions and beliefs about their relative social status. © 2017 Huang, Hou, Sun, Dou, Liu and Zhang.

Author Keywords

Subjective social mobility Chinese rural-to-urban migrants Objective socioeconomic status Subjective socioeconomic status Subjective well-being

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85019939721&doi=10.3389%2ffpsyg.2017.00819&partnerID=40&md5=5c5494831bd51d27b62dd7e0fdcfd457
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00819
ISSN: 16641078
Cited by: 10
Original Language: English