Childhood Migration Experiences and Entrepreneurial Choices: Evidence from Chinese Internal Migrants

Existing research has shown that individuals’ early-life experiences exert a sustained impact on their social life in adulthood. However, there remains a lack of understanding regarding how childhood migration experiences influence entrepreneurial behaviors. Using data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), this paper examines the effects of childhood migration experiences on migrants’ entrepreneurial propensity. The findings indicate that childhood migration experiences increase the likelihood of migrants engaging in self-employment or entrepreneurship in China, and this result holds consistent across several robustness checks. The research further reveals that social capital and human capital mediate the relationship between childhood migration experiences and entrepreneurial choices. Additionally, for migrants aged over 35, and those who migrated alone during their first-time migration, the positive effects of childhood migration experiences are more significant. Also, among the three age cohorts of childhood migration, the entrepreneurial effects of migration at ages 7–12 and 13–18 are significantly stronger than those of migration before age 6. This research highlights the long-term impact of childhood migration experiences on shaping individuals’ entrepreneurial choices, which provides theoretical and practical evidence for government policies that promote entrepreneurship.