This journal is one of the earliest journals on population science in China. It is issued worldwide and indexed by CSSCI, and it is listed as the national Chinese core periodicaland the core periodical on population science.
Editor-in-Chief Yu Xiao
Deputy Editor-in-Chief Wang Xiaofeng, Wang Huabo
Editorial Board Wang Guangzhou, Wang Jinying, Yi Hao, Tian Yipeng, Sun Changzhi, Zhu Yu, Zhang Shiwei, Qiu Hong, Lu Jiehua, Chen Yingzi, Li Shuzhuo, Fan Lida, Yang Chenggang, Yang
The new generation of floating population has become the main force of China’s floating population, and the new and old generations of the floating population have shown differences among several dimensions. Using data fromthe 2013 China Dynamic Monitoring Survey of Floating Population, we examine differences of the decision-making on child migration between the old and new floating population generations in China. We focus on children aged 3–12. We find that the new generation of the floating population is less likely than the old generation to arrange their children to migrate with them. These differences are mainly reflected in four aspects:“child age,” “local household monthly income,” “floating range”and“local social capital.” Results from models with interactive models show that, when“local household monthly income”and“child age”increase, the new generation of floating population is more likely to arrange their children (3–12 years old) to migrate with them than the old generation after other factors controlled. Finally, we argue that the decreased probability of child migration of the new generation of the floating population is likely to lead to more left-behind children. Therefore, this problem deserves further exploration. Moreover, cities with large numbers of floating population would do best to understand the age composition of the floating population in its region and to provide educational infrastructure and improve education system.
Influenced by the differences of regional ecological environment, commercial conditions and historical culture, the spatial distribution of population is non-uniform. With the expansion of the economic advantages of large and medium-sized cities, the centripetal force of population agglomeration has been strengthened. The population of Beijing and Shanghai has exceeded 20 million. Large-scale population influx has a significant impact on transportation, social order, resource utilization, environmental protection, housing security of the city. Population dispersion and population control have become the important social management measures in Beijing and Shanghai. At the same time, people are both producers and consumers. With the aging population and the disappearing demographic dividend, population is the precious resource of all regions. Therefore, this paper applied provincial panel data to study the economic growth effect of population agglomeration by the method of instrumental variables regression, and found that the number of primary school teachers and health care workers is a good instrumental variable. The results showed that population agglomeration had significant economic growth effects. In addition, we studied the economic growth effect of changes in population structure and found that the improved population structure is more conducive to economic growth. Finally, it is put forward that population agglomeration should be further promoted, that improving the age structure and employment structure of the population promotes economic growth through population agglomeration, which is more meaningful for Beijing, Shanghai and other central cities. It is necessary to consider the economic growth effect of population structure optimization in the implementation of population dispersion policy.
In the process of demographic transition, the improvement of female’s education level is often considered as one of the factors that promote fertility rate decline, however, during post-demographic transition period, female’s education level is found to be positively associated with fertility in many developed countries. This paper uses three-wave data from China General Social Survey in 2010, 2012 and 2013 to analyze the distribution of the willingness to have a second child across female’s education levels and marriage pattern. The results suggest that, compared to those only finishing Senior high school, the fertility willingness is higher for female with bachelor credential or at most primary school education, the results are robust even after controlling for female’s position in the income distribution. The dyadic analysis also suggests that wives from the couples who are both least or most educated tend to have higher fertility willingness. The gender equity theory is used to explain this U-shaped change pattern in female’s education level and marriage pattern. Fertility behavior is not only related to economic level or relative economic strength between husband and wife, but also affected by gender concept. More equal gender concept and gender relationship are conducive to promoting the promotion of fertility willingness. The government should promote a universal childcare system to ensure female’s employment and gender equality, so that the fertility rate will be maintained at a stable level.
Age identity is about the subjective experience of aging, and is an important factor affecting the healthy aging of older people. Although some studies have identified the association between age identity of the elderly and whether they have to perform grandparental care, there is little focus on the effect of their adult children’s social support. Based on data from 2014 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, this article analyzes the effects of grandparental care on age identity of the Chinese elderly people using multiple linear regression models. Meanwhile, it analyzes the mediation effects of intergenerational social support (economic support, instrumental support and emotional support of their adult children) by the Bootstrap method. The findings suggest that grandparents who care for grandchildren have more positive age identity than those who do not. Compared with grandparents living in rural areas, the positive effects of caring for grandchildren are more likely to occur among urban grandparents. The age identity of female grandparents is more likely to be positively affected by grandchildren care than their male counterparts. For slightly younger aged people (less than 70 years old), caring for grandchildren has a positive effect on their age identity. We also find that the intergenerational economic support and instrumental support have full mediation effects on the relationship between grandparental care and age identity. This paper shows the positive effect of caring for grandchildren on the age identity of grandparents. The families of older people should pay more attention to the age identity of older caregivers, which could affect their health. At the same time, their adult children should give more support to them.
In the process of urbanization, the incomplete migration leads to the formation of a large number of left-behind children in rural areas. On one hand, the existing environment restricts the survival and development of left-behind children greatly. On the other hand, left-behind members will respond to the actual needs through positive, negative or unconscious actions. Therefore, while analyzing the restrictions of parents’ going out on family structure and individuals, it is important to further review the role of family members’ dynamic factors. The data of China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) in 2013 were used to analyze the physical and mental health, cognitive level, school record, comprehensive development and influencing factors of rural left-behind children. The study found that the migration arrangements of mothers have a very negative impact on rural left-behind children. Good family economic status, family status and atmosphere, and family and individual achieved factors all have positive effects on the comprehensive development of left-behind children. Gender differences are mainly reflected in the facts that the physical and mental health and cognitive level of left-behind boys are better than those of left-behind girls, but the performance and comprehensive development ability of girls are better. The main difference between rural left-behind children and non-left-behind children is physical and mental health. Based on this, the following countermeasures are put forward. The problem of children’s staying behind should be taken into account in both immediate and long terms, in order to minimize the cost of development. Public policy and institutional design should be embedded in the family perspective. It is necessary to consciously adapt to the trend of population mobility and family, strengthen family responsibility and explore its initiative, and to build a supportive environment for left-behind children through linking multiple resources.
Since 2017, some first- and second-tier cities in China have successively introduced relevant policies to stimulate the inflow of population and talents, forming a round of competition for talents. Then, how can we attract talents, population inflow and long-term residence? This requires the accurate understanding of the willingness and determinants of urban long-term residence of population and talents. Therefore, using the micro data of monitoring survey of the floating population in 2016, and combining with the meso data that reflect the urban characteristics, the nonlinear hierarchical model is used to make an empirical analysis of the determinants of urban long-term residence willingness of population and talents. The study found that the career type and individual human capital are the strongest determinants of urban residence willingness of floating population. Migration experience of the parent generation weakens their urban residence willingness. From the urban level, the level of public services has a significant impact on the urban long-term residence willingness of the floating population. The lack of the access to better basic education of floating population in cities makes them do not play the due role in promoting urban long-term residence willingness of floating population. Therefore, the suggestions given in this paper are as follows. In order to enhance the urban long-term residence willingness of floating population, it is necessary to break the barriers of household registration and recessive system, improve the equity and availability of education for the floating population in the inflow places, continue to improve the environmental factors of cities, and to improve the medical care level and social security of cities.
