Impact of Land Resource Endowment and Socio-Economic Conditions on Agricultural Migrants’ Settlement Intentions: Evidence from China

As China’s urbanization accelerates, the migration intentions of agricultural migrants have become a key issue in urban-rural development. This study aims to investigate the impact of land resources, personal characteristics, and regional differences on agricultural migrants’ settlement intentions. Spatial autocorrelation analysis and binary logistic regression models are used to examine how these factors influence the migration decisions of agricultural migrants. The results show that land resources significantly impact migration intentions. Groups with larger areas of family land and contracted land are more inclined to stay in rural areas, while groups with limited land resources are more likely to migrate to urban areas. Additionally, personal characteristics such as education level, marital status, and family income significantly affect migration intentions. Specifically, agricultural migrants in eastern regions have a stronger migration intention, while those in western and central regions show more balanced migration intentions. Economic benefits from land transfer and active land markets also encourage agricultural migrants to migrate. This study provides important theoretical insights for optimizing land policies and promoting coordinated urban-rural development in China.