Rural-to-Urban Migration in China and Late-Life Cognitive Trajectories: A Perspective From the <i>Hukou</i> System

Migrating to urban areas profoundly shapes later-life cognitive function. However, it is unclear whether the acquisition of urban citizenship matters in old age and how the rural-urban <i>hukou</i> differences in cognition change over time. In particular, the existing literature has overlooked the need to differentiate between the effects of health selection and urban <i>hukou</i> attainment. To address these gaps, we use data from five waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results indicate that those who have obtained urban <i>hukou</i> through policies have better cognitive outcomes later in life compared to <i>hukou</i> non-converters, and these <i>hukou-</i>related differences grow with age. However, their cognitive abilities are lower when compared to merit-based <i>hukou</i> converters, who exhibit similar trajectories to lifelong urban citizens. These findings encourage not only a further breakdown of the urban-rural segregation structure in China, but more importantly, an improvement in the cognitive reserve of individuals.