Young Floating Population in City: How Outsiderness Influences Self‐Esteem of Rural‐to‐Urban Migrant Children in China?

Abstract

While scholars note that rural‐to‐urban migrant children in China tend to have worse mental health than urban‐born children, insufficient attention has been paid to understanding this mechanism beyond the Hukou system and the urban‐rural dual structure. Using data from China’s Nine‐City Survey of Migrant Children, this study reveals that perceptions of being a temporary visitor and an outsider in the city have strong negative effects on migrant children’s self‐esteem. Regression analysis shows that migrant children sharing a kitchen with other families, studying in migrant‐sponsored schools instead of regular schools for local children and perceiving discrimination from local peers tend to have lower self‐esteem.