Does the Homeownership Gap Between Rural–Urban Migrants and Urban–Urban Migrants in China Vary by Income?

Abstract

Rural–urban migrants in China often experience poor living conditions and are less likely to be homeowners than urban–urban migrants. This study aims to investigate whether the homeownership gap between rural–urban migrants and urban–urban migrants in China vary by income. We explore the homeownership gap between the two migrant groups using the National Migrants Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey in 2014. Our findings show that the homeownership gap between rural–urban migrants and urban–urban migrants vary by income, and this gap is larger for high-income groups than for low-income groups. The estimations also demonstrate that social security insurance may act as the transmission channel, indicating a stratification process.