Prosperity across generations: Socioeconomic attainment and subjective well-being of Chinese migrants’ offspring in Hong Kong

In this study, I use the origin–destination approach to investigate the socioeconomic status and subjective well-being of children of Chinese mainland migrants in Hong Kong in comparison with children of individuals who remained in Guangdong (“Guangdong stayers”) and Hong Kong natives. Furthermore, I explore the heterogeneity among migrant groups based on parents’ pre- and post-migration occupational status to examine the association between migrant parents’ intragenerational mobility and their children's intergenerational mobility. Two comparable representative surveys were used: the 2010 China Family Panel Studies and the 2011 Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics. The results showed that the children of Chinese mainland migrants achieved higher levels of objective and subjective well-being than the Guangdong stayers. Within the migrant groups, the children of all migrants, particularly those of low-skilled migrants, experienced upward mobility. The occupational achievements of the children of highly skilled migrants reflected their parents’ pre-migration occupational status. Children of all migrants achieved comparable levels of occupational success in the Hong Kong labor market.