Digital economy and settlement intention of migrants in urban China

摘要

This paper utilizes data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) and the digital econ-omy index at the city level to empirically examine the impact of the digital economy on migrants’ settlement intention. The results reveal a substantial enhancement in migrants’ settlement intention due to the digital economy, and these fndings remain robust when considering model misspecifcation, measurement error, and endogeneity of the digital economy. Furthermore, the digital economy contributes to migrants’ settlement intention by fostering entrepreneurial ac-tivities and augmenting household income. Additionally, we fnd a signifcant and positive effect of the digital economy on the settlement intention of migrants with agricultural hukou, while no signifcant effect is observed for migrants with non-agricultural hukou. Overall, this study offers novel insights into strategies for promoting urbanization.