Victimization and Rural-to-urban and urban-to-urban migration in China

• In Event: Comparative and Cross-National Perspectives on Immigration and Violence

Abstract

In the last three decades, China has witnessed a substantial movement of labor from rural and urban regions to more economically developed areas, with the most recent national survey estimating that more than 220 million people migrated from their home villages/towns. This study examined the association between migration status and exposure to victimization experiences, as well as the potential social processes underlying this linkage. The results showed that compared with non-migrants, migrants in China were more likely to experience violence and property victimization, including properties being robbed, stolen, and being swindled and threatened. Social factors such as social economic status and lifestyle-routine activities appear to mediate some of the associations.

Author

• Xiaojin Chen, Tulane University