Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2019, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (2): 133-159.

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Threatened Interests,Satisfaction towards Governments' Work and Citizens' Acceptance to Migrant Peasants in Urban China:Based on the Empirical a Analysis of CSS2011

LIU Jiankun, XU Hongzhi   

  1. School of Social Science, Tsinghua University
  • Online:2019-03-20 Published:2019-03-20

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Abstract:

This article tends to explore the formation mechanisms of urban native citizens' exclusive attitudes towards the migrant peasants in contemporary China. By reviewing the theory of threatened interests,which is regarded as the mainstream explanation for urban native citizens' rejection to migrants,and based on Coser's conflict theory and the process of the changing interest structure in China our research studies the evolution of the relationship between citizens and governments and its influence on citizens' exclusive attitudes towards the migrant peasants. By analyzing China Social Survey data in 2011,we find that:(1) though the citizens' exclusive attitudes partly derives from the deterioration of their current life situation,the main reasons are their interest loss in the past and pessimistic expectations to their future status;(2) The lower satisfaction toward governments' work of providing public services,the lower willingness of the local citizens to accept migrant peasants;(3) Affected by their dissatisfaction towards the government with low administrative efficiency and poor ability to narrow social inequality,urban citizens who lost their status in the past are more likely to significantly reject the peasant immigrants. The results indicate that citizens' exclusive attitudes towards the migrant peasants are mainly unrealistic. Moreover,citizens' interests loss and their satisfaction towards governments not only influence their willingness to accept peasants in cities respectively,but also have an internal relationship,thus generating the “scapegoat” mechanism that could make the peasant immigrants become an alternative target of some citizens to express their dissatisfaction towards governments. Finally,from the perspective of social integration,we discuss the necessity of accelerating the reform of interest distribution as well as narrowing the income gap in urban China.

Key words: citizens' rejection, threatened interests, satisfaction towards governments, mechanism of "scapegoat"