The integration paradox: discrimination, institutional trust, and settlement intention among highly educated mainland Chinese migrants in Hong Kong and Macao

This study aims to investigate the relationships between perceived discrimination, institutional trust, and settlement intention among highly educated domestic migrants by accounting for their structural (educational and economic) positions. Theoretically, this study of Hong Kong and Macao explores the integration paradox, a well-documented perspective on skilled migrants in transnational contexts, and expands it to internal migrant populations. Using respondent-driven sampling, the data include 2,951 highly educated migrants from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macao. The results indicate that a higher educational position in terms of tertiary educational attainment is associated with lower settlement intention among domestic migrants, a finding that tallies with the integration paradox. However, economic position in terms of income bolsters, rather than weakens, settlement intention. Perceived discrimination and institutional trust are evident in mediating the negative effect of tertiary educational attainment on the settlement intention of domestic migrants.