Ambition or comparison? Socioeconomic status and wellbeing differences between local and migrant workers

Pursuing wellbeing is an essential part of human life and plays a determining role in public health and social sustainability. Prior research identified objective socioeconomic status (O-SES), such as real income and homeownership, as facilitators of human subjective wellbeing (SWB). However, not all humans with better SES reported high SWB. This paper expects that subjective socioeconomic status (S-SES) is the key path through which O-SES shapes SWB and that this indirect relationship varies by household registration status, length of residentship, and type of migrant status. Based on a national representative survey dataset-China General Social Survey 2010 (CGSS), the results of generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) show that household income and homeownership as O-SES are positively related to SWB. Self-evaluated household SES as an important indicator of S-SES not only has a positive relationship with SWB but also significantly mediates the relationship between O-SES and SWB, especially for the new-local residents (NLRs), urban-to-urban migrants (UUMs) and rural-to-urban migrants (RUMs). This study has substantial implications for targeting the comparative psychology and sustainable productivity of Chinese migrants and the local labor force since it is currently facing a growing aging society.