The Impact of Perception of Social Morality Level on Agricultural Land Transfer Behavior: Evidence from China

Institutions hold a crucial influence over human behavior and economic development. Using 3791 agricultural land transfer-out households from the 2021 Chinese Social Survey (CSS) data as the research sample, this study employs Logit, IV-Probit, and Heckman models to explore the influence of social morality—a crucial informal institution—on farmers’ land transfer behavior from a cognitive perspective, examining the moderating factors and underlying mechanisms between the two. The findings indicate the following: (1) The perception of social morality level significantly influences land transfer behavior; when farmers perceive lower social morality, their land transfer behavior is inhibited. (2) The perception of the level of rule of law significantly negatively moderates the relationship between perception of social morality level and agricultural land transfer behavior. That is, the negative impact of the perception of social morality level on agricultural land transfer is effectively mitigated as the perceived level of rule of law increases. (3) The suppression of land transfer by perceptions of social morality stems primarily from the significant weakening of social trust, which is a crucial mechanism driving land transfer. By focusing on social morality and adopting a cognitive perspective, this study explores the impact of this informal institution on agricultural land transfer behavior. It holds significant theoretical value for deepening the understanding of informal institutional changes and enhancing the development of agricultural land markets in rural China.