Regional differences and formation mechanisms of intergenerational mobility in China: an empirical study based on spatial analysis techniques

Spatial perspective is one of the important growth points of intergenerational mobility research. Determining a region’s intergenerational mobility not only involves situating the internal characteristics of its social structure, but also its external spatial relations (i.e., its spatial location and surrounding social resources). Advanced levels of industrialization, large income dispersion, and sufficient social welfare resources in surrounding areas (of a specific location) can promote intergenerational mobility in a region as the “spatial spillover effect”. Using data from the 2010–2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this paper explores regional differences and formation mechanisms underlying intergenerational mobility. The study findings indicate significant regional differences in intergenerational mobility within China, with a distribution pattern of “large dispersion and small concentration”, concluding with several key questions for future research.