Social capital and career choices among rural Chinese youth: The mediating role of social mobility perception

BACKGROUND: In the digital age, the influence of social capital on youth employment has grown increasingly intricate, with the mechanisms of online and offline social capital, particularly for vulnerable groups like rural youth in China, remaining underexplored. AIMS: This study investigated the association of social capital with rural Chinese youth's career choices and explored the mediating role of social mobility perception. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey, including 489 rural youth. Social mobility perception was measured by MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status. Social capital consisted of both offline and online dimensions. Career choices included employment status, nature of job, occupational stability, and job freedom. Gender, marital status, education and father's occupation were covariates. RESULTS: Both offline and online social capital positively corelated with rural Chinese youth's career choices, with social mobility perception substantially mediating this link. CONCLUSIONS: Social capital plays a significant role in shaping rural youth's aspirations and trajectories. For these youth, social capital connects to their transitional mobility experience and expectations, with their perceptions of mobility demonstrating their personal agency in making career decisions. LIMITATION: This study is limited by the temporal relevance of the data and certain measurement constraints.