How Equalization of Basic Public Services Affects Settlement Intentions of Rural-Urban Migrants: Evidence from China Migrants Dynamic Survey

From a public economics perspective, basic public services play a crucial part in influencing rural-urban migrants’ settlement intentions. However, there is limited research analyzing this issue in terms of the equitable access to these public services among different migrant groups. This study uses data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamics Survey (CMDS2017) and within the context of large-scale migration in China, calculates individual access to basic public services for rural-urban migrants across six dimensions. It develops an equalization index of basic public services at the urban level to examine how this affects the settlement intentions of rural-urban migrants and the underlying mechanisms. The results indicate that improvements in the equalization of basic public services significantly enhance migrants’ intentions to settle permanently in urban areas. These findings are robust across various tests. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive impact of public service equalization is more noticeable among older generations but does not differ significantly by education level or mobility ranges, showing hardly any difference in coefficients. Mechanism analysis reveals that participation in social activities and psychological identity are key mediators of these effects. These insights offer valuable policy suggestions for governments. The policymakers should concentrate on enhancing the equalization of basic public services to effectively attract more rural-urban migrants, thus accelerating urban development in China.