Table 3 Results of the generalized structural equation modeling (N = 48,806)

City tiers of places of origin (ref.: new first-tier cities)

 Second-tier cities

0.158***

3.922***

0.969

0.660***

0.578***

1.255***

(0.016)

(0.429)

(0.120)

(0.093)

(0.076)

(0.074)

 Third-tier cities

0.158***

1.015

1.425***

0.367***

0.309***

0.848***

(0.013)

(0.100)

(0.151)

(0.045)

(0.035)

(0.043)

 Fourth-tier cities

0.183***

1.002

0.520***

2.170***

0.360***

0.817***

(0.015)

(0.098)

(0.056)

(0.248)

(0.040)

(0.041)

 Fifth-tier cities

0.196***

1.807***

1.296**

0.768**

2.379***

0.925

(0.017)

(0.183)

(0.143)

(0.094)

(0.263)

(0.049)

County-level administrative types of places of origin (ref.: municipal districts)

 County-level cities

1.132**

1.134**

1.116*

0.828***

0.915

1.017

(0.063)

(0.064)

(0.072)

(0.058)

(0.067)

(0.040)

 Counties

1.225***

1.557***

1.692***

1.395***

1.404***

0.897***

(0.054)

(0.070)

(0.086)

(0.074)

(0.076)

(0.028)

Gender (ref.: female)

1.149***

1.190***

1.157***

1.108**

1.201***

0.951**

(0.041)

(0.042)

(0.045)

(0.046)

(0.052)

(0.024)

Age

0.979***

0.978***

0.982***

0.993

0.987**

1.006*

(0.004)

(0.004)

(0.005)

(0.005)

(0.005)

(0.003)

Married status (ref.: unmarried)

0.991

1.131***

1.274***

1.158***

1.115*

2.713***

(0.047)

(0.053)

(0.068)

(0.066)

(0.065)

(0.111)

Educational level (ref.: below elementary school)

 Junior high school

0.751**

0.603***

0.448***

0.380***

0.319***

1.683***

(0.086)

(0.067)

(0.051)

(0.044)

(0.036)

(0.098)

 High school

0.646***

0.408***

0.331***

0.263***

0.174***

2.657***

(0.075)

(0.046)

(0.038)

(0.031)

(0.020)

(0.160)

 Junior college and above

0.490***

0.310***

0.207***

0.181***

0.093***

4.526***

(0.057)

(0.035)

(0.024)

(0.022)

(0.011)

(0.284)

Occupation type (ref.: professional and clerical)

 Business and service sector jobs

0.779***

(0.032)

 Manufacture workers

0.878***

(0.042)

 Others

1.554***

(0.071)

 Employer type (ref.: non-public sector)

1.454***

(0.074)

Homestead

0.506***

(0.014)

Farmland (ref.: do not have)

 Having farmland but not transferring it

1.348***

(0.037)

 Having farmland and transferring it

1.809***

(0.086)

 Unclear

0.947

(0.042)

Family monthly income (log)

2.114***

(0.051)

Number of co-migrated family member

1.171***

(0.014)

Migratory duration

1.095***

(0.003)

Number of cities migrated

0.912***

(0.009)

Migration type (ref.: intraprovincial migration)

0.544***

(0.014)

Mediator variable

City tiers of destinations (ref.: first-tier cities)

 New first-tier cities

3.037***

(0.158)

 Second-tier cities

2.256***

(0.119)

 Third-tier cities

4.119***

(0.231)

 Fourth-tier cities

4.601***

(0.275)

 Fifth-tier cities

3.303***

(0.206)

Log Likelihood

− 100,173.670

AIC

200,539.300

BIC

201,385.100