The Consequences of Parental Labor Migration in China for Children’s Emotional Well-Being

Using data from the 2010 Chinese Family Panel Survey (CFPS), we study the effects of internal migration in China on the emotional well-being of children age 10-15. The CFPS, a national probability sample survey of the Chinese population, includes 3,464 children within this age range. We compare four groups: rural children with local registration living with both parents; urban children with local registration living with both parents; children left behind by migrant parents; and children accompanying their migrant parents. We expect the latter two groups to be at risk of increased emotional difficulties compared to children living with both parents. We test these expectations using both OLS models and community fixed effects models. In estimating community fixed effects models, we contrast children left behind with children in the same communities living with both parents, and we contrast migrant children with children in the same communities living with both parents.