Recognizing that return migration decision-making is a complex and multidimensional process, the paper sheds light on two under-researched topics in migration literature: return migration intentions a

The gap

Consensus across the literature

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• Attitudes towards rural migrants and their influence on return migration in China (2021) · doi

  Abstract Compared with the enormous attention paid to the formation of attitudes towards migrants, studies on the social consequences of such attitudes have been insufficient, with the link between attitudes towards migrants and return migration remaining an understudied field both in global and Chinese contexts.

  Keywords: attitudes towards migrants abstract compared enormous attention paid formation social consequences insufficient link return migration
• Reurbanisation in my hometown? Effect of return migration on migrants' urban settlement intention (2020) · doi

  Studies have mainly focused on the return of overseas migrants and their employment transformation and social integration upon return; few studies have investigated internal return migrants and their residential choice and urbanisation effect.

  Keywords: return migrants mainly focused overseas employment transformation social integration upon investigated internal residential choice urbanisation
• Migrants’ reference group selection: insights from the multidimensional assimilation framework (2025) · doi

  The results indicate that cultural assimilation measured by migration distance and duration does not significantly predict reference group choice, suggesting that cultural assimilation is insufficient to explain migrants’ social comparisons in recent China.

  Keywords: cultural assimilation indicate measured migration distance duration predict reference group choice suggesting insufficient explain migrants
• Exploring return intentions from the young migrant’s point of view (2024) · doi

  Recognizing that return migration decision-making is a complex and multidimensional process, the paper sheds light on two under-researched topics in migration literature: return migration intentions and young migrants.

  Keywords: migration return recognizing decision making complex multidimensional process sheds light researched topics literature intentions young