Education and Social Attitudes Toward Internal Migrants: Causal Evidence From China

Wei Huang; Wenquan Liang; Fei Teng; Sajid Anwar

doi:10.1111/rode.70175

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Education and Social Attitudes Toward Internal Migrants: Causal Evidence From China

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Education and Social Attitudes Toward Internal Migrants: Causal Evidence From China

Wei Huang, Wenquan Liang, Fei Teng and Sajid Anwar

Review of Development Economics, Vol.Advanced access

12-Jun-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.70175

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Abstract

China

city economic shocks

individual education

migrant assimilation

neighbourhood dynamics

social cohesion

This article examines the causal impact of educational attainment on natives' attitudes toward internal migrants in China, a question central to understanding the social foundations of integration in rapidly urbanizing societies. Using nationally representative data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), we find that higher education significantly improves natives' perceptions and behaviors toward migrants, fostering more inclusive social environments. To address endogeneity, we implement a regression discontinuity design (RDD) that exploits exogenous variation from the 1986 Compulsory Education Law. The results reveal a robust positive effect of education on pro-migrant attitudes. We identify multiple underlying mechanisms, including improved Mandarin proficiency, reduced perceived job competition, greater interpersonal trust, enhanced mental well-being, and increased recognition of migrants' contributions to local development. Notably, the language and cultural channel serves as the primary mechanism in explaining this effect. These effects are more pronounced in cities with larger migrant populations and in regions experiencing economic shocks. Our findings underscore the role of human capital development in shaping social attitudes and highlight education policy as a strategic lever for strengthening social cohesion and promoting migrant integration in urban China.

Details

Title: Education and Social Attitudes Toward Internal Migrants: Causal Evidence From China
Authors: Wei Huang - Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance
Wenquan Liang (Corresponding Author) - University of Jinan
Fei Teng - Fudan University
Sajid Anwar (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Review of Development Economics, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1111/rode.70175
ISSN: 1467-9361
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Review of Development Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Grant note: This work was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (22BJL026) for Wei Huang and Wenquan Liang acknowledges funding by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72373054).
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991242148702621
Output Type: Journal article

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