Environmental migration effects of air pollution: Micro-level evidence from China

The willingness of migrating due to air pollution is widespread in China. However, there is a lack of direct evidence and discussion regarding whether this willingness has been translated into action. In this study, PM2.5 concentrations were used to represent air pollution in each city and were compared with individual migration data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) to examine population migration effects caused by air pollution. This study showed that (1) Population migration between Chinese cities shows sensitivity to air pollution, and air pollution increases the probability of moving away for local population. This finding is held under multiple robustness and endogeneity tests. (2) Population migration effects caused by air pollution were more pronounced among women, middle-aged people, those with lower educational levels, from agricultural households, Han Chinese groups, and populations in southern cities. (3) The use of individual self-rated health data verified that physical health is an important channel through which individual migration decisions are influenced by air pollution, the older an individual, the more his or her health was affected. In light of these findings, this study led to conclusions regarding targeted policy recommendations in terms of talent clustering, social equity, and demographic balance.