Personal, social, and ecological influences on loneliness and satisfaction among rural-to-urban migrants in Shanghai, China

This study examined personal, social, and ecological influences on loneliness and satisfaction among rural-urban migrants in Shanghai, China. Data used in this study were from the Shanghai Rural-to-Urban Migrant Worker Survey conducted by the Institute of Demographic Research, Fudan University, China. A host of demographic, socioeconomic, psychological, and ecological factors were identified as strong correlates of loneliness and satisfaction. In addition to upward social mobility manifested in socioeconomic achievement and improvement in living condition, living arrangement, psychosocial factors, and ecological contexts also exhibited important influences on mental well-being of rural-to-urban migrants in Shanghai. Friendly and helpful attitudes and equal treatment of the receiving urban community were associated with better mental health of these migrant workers. The effect of private or institutional discrimination was overwhelmingly negative on migrant mental well-being over and above other demographic, socioeconomic and psychological variables. Establishing neighborhood public facilities such as library and gym and taking measures to encourage family reunion of the migrants seem to be potentially fruitful ways to promote migrant mental well-being in China. But most essentially, policy makers should consider ways to reduce institutional inequalities disadvantaging rural-to-urban migrants and to help change the perennial image of rural-to-urban migrants as secondary citizens in cities.