Selective Hukou Policies and Negative Sentiment towards Migrant Workers in China

• In Event: Poster Session: Public Opinion and Comparative Politics

Abstract

Past research on negative sentiment towards low-skilled migrant workers has identified two leading causes: the intensifying labor market competition and the fiscal burden caused by increasing public service. This article provides new evidence regarding the negative impact of selective migration policies on public sentiment towards low-skilled migrant workers, arguing that public policies can signal governments’ preferences and thus shape public opinion. Using a difference-in-difference design and a regression discontinuity technique, I analyze Weibo posts regarding low-skilled migrant laborers from 2012-2017 in Mainland China and find that residents present more negativity in their online posts about low-skilled migrant workers after their cities adopted selective hukou policies. In addition, the continuation of selective hukou policies can further harm the average sentiment of Weibo messages about low-skilled migrant workers in the short term, and the termination of them, however, can immediately induce more positivity within the composition of these relevant messages. These findings suggest that selective hukou policies can undermine the integration of low-skilled migrant workers by facilitating negativity towards those people in public discourse and underscore the importance of establishing a more inclusive internal migration system in China and worldwide.

Author

• Liu Chen