How does resettlement policy affect the place attachment of resettled farmers?

Resettlement policy has broken the emotional link between farmers and rural communities. However, most research in this area has focused on the perspective of economic compensation rather than emotional cognition. This study considered the emotional cognition of resettled farmers using the theory of “place attachment,” based on a statistical analysis of questionnaire results following 32 in-depth interviews. A theoretical hypothesis was constructed to explain the influence of resettlement policy on place attachment using the results of 315 questionnaires, with the structural equation model (SEM) method applied to test the hypothesis. The results showed that the classical two-dimensional classification of place attachment (place dependence and place identity) had good statistical applicability for expressing the emotional link between resettled farmers and their former rural community. It was found that six factors generated by the resettlement policy affect farmers’ place attachment: policy evaluation, space shortage, space improvement, rural attributes, land rootedness, and community inclusion. Our findings indicate that in the context of Chinese social culture, resettlement policy has not only materially changed the spatial environment but also the fundamental meaning of place for farmers. Our results provide new insight into how resettlement policy has influenced resettled farmers in the urbanization of China.