Housing prices and the subjective well-being of migrant workers: evidence from China

AbstractOwning a house is important for most young people in urban China, especially for migrants. For migrants who want to settle in their working city, high housing prices may have a negative effect on their subjective well-being. Using nationally representative migrant survey data, this study examines the relationship between housing prices and migrants ’ subjective well-being in China. The results indicate that housing prices play a significantly negative role in migrants’ subjective well-being, especially for low-educated, female, and rural-to-urban migrants. These results are robust to instrumental variable analysis. In addition to the direc t mental effect, there is evidence of two possible ways in which housing prices may affect migrants’ subjective well-being. First, high housing prices increase the possibility of migrants living alone in the city, and a geographical family split decreases their subjective well-being. Second, to ea rn more to purchase a house in the working city in the future, they are more likely to work longer hours and decrease their leisure time, which may cause a decrease in their happiness.
Source: Journal of Happiness Studies - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research