Habitat International
Volume 66, 2017, Pages 86-94

The effect of neighbourhood social ties on migrants' subjective wellbeing in Chinese cities (Article)

Liu Y.* , Zhang F. , Li Z. , Wu F.
  • a Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, 14 Upper Woburn PlaceLondon WC1H 0NN, United Kingdom; Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
  • b Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, 14 Upper Woburn PlaceLondon WC1H 0NN, United Kingdom
  • c School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
  • d Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, 14 Upper Woburn PlaceLondon WC1H 0NN, United Kingdom

Abstract

Existing literature on migrants' subjective wellbeing (SWB) in Chinese cities has highlighted the crucial role of social ties, yet the pathways by which social ties influence their SWB remain poorly understood. Using Guangzhou survey data and multilevel linear regressions, this paper examines the extent to and ways in which migrants' social ties with neighbours enhance their SWB, with a particular focus on the distinction between the main effects and buffering effects of their neighbourhood ties. Results from multilevel models reveal that neighbourhood ties enhance migrants' SWB in a direct manner, but no evidence shows that neighbourhood ties lessen the negative impacts of neighbourhood deprivation. Results also illustrate that the association between neighbourhood ties and SWB is stronger for locals than for migrants. This paper contributes to our understanding of migrants' SWB by disentangling the positive effects of their social ties with neighbours and investigating the role of migrants' neighbourhood ties in relation to stress arising from neighbourhood deprivation. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Author Keywords

China Migrants Subjective wellbeing Neighbourhood deprivation Neighbourhood ties Urban neighbourhoods

Index Keywords

China immigrant survey regression analysis Guangdong neighborhood Guangzhou urban society quality of life
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85020055674&doi=10.1016%2fj.habitatint.2017.05.011&partnerID=40&md5=eb76b89c555867eedcde40d1581fd207
DOI: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.05.011
ISSN: 01973975
Cited by: 13
Original Language: English