Earlier move, greater joy: Migration timing and subjective well-being among rural migrants in China

This study examines the effects of migration timing on subjective well-being among rural migrants in China, offering new insights into how the age at migration influences long-term welfare. Using data from the China Labor-force Dynamic Survey, we exploit historical rainfall fluctuations as an exogenous shock to identify causal impacts. The results show that early migration significantly promotes adult migrants' happiness, overall life satisfaction, and family economic satisfaction, with findings remaining robust across various sensitivity tests. These positive effects are stronger for female migrants, older birth cohorts, and those moving from smaller cities to major cities. Our mechanisms analysis suggests that socioeconomic status, human capital, and social capital are potential channels through which early migrants achieve higher levels of subjective well-being compared to late migrants. Our study highlights the importance of promoting rural-to-urban migration and fostering an inclusive urban development environment to improve migrants’ welfare, particularly in major cities.