Integration Effect on Rural Migrants’ Settlement Intention in Urban China

The integration experiences of migrants are intricately connected to their quality of life and influence their settlement decisions. This paper goes beyond the conventional research by investigating the distinct roles of integration dimensions and their interactions in determining settlement intention, using a sample of 12,252 migrants collected from eight districts/cities in China. It is revealed that economic integration, cultural adaptation, social engagement, and psychological identification positively influence settlement intention, but with different effects. Among these integration domains, social engagement and psychological identification play dominant roles, whereas cultural adaptation is the least influential. Furthermore, the level of cultural adaptation remains consistent for rural migrants regardless of their economic status or level of social engagement. Psychological identification mediates the relationship between economic integration/social engagement and settlement intention, resulting in two trajectories: “Economic integration → Psychological identification → Settlement intention” and “Social engagement → Psychological identification → Settlement intention”. These findings underscore the importance of fostering a migrant-friendly society to improve quality of life for rural migrants and promote their settlement intention, particularly within the context of China’s new-type urbanization.