Stratified Aging in Urban China: How Migration Pathways Are Associated with Subjective Well-Being among Long-Term Rural-to-Urban Migrant Older Adults

This study examines how migration pathways are associated with long-term subjective well-being among rural-to-urban migrant older adults in China. Analyzing cross-sectional survey data from 822 participants across three economically diverse cities (Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Puyang), we classified migrants into three pathways: self-actualization (n = 277), policy-driven (n = 267), and family-dependent (n = 278). Multivariate linear regression models assessed pathway associations with subjective social status, happiness, life satisfaction, and health satisfaction. Policy-driven migrants reported higher subjective social status (p = 0.004) but significantly lower health satisfaction (p < 0.001) compared to self-actualization migrants. Family-dependent migrants exhibited the lowest status (p < 0.001) yet highest happiness (p < 0.001) and satisfaction (p < 0.001). Self-actualization migrants showed high status but low emotional well-being. Subjective economic status and unemployment/retirement predicted better outcomes across all dimensions. Urban duration of 10–20 years corresponded to higher status (p = 0.010), while >20 years was linked to greater happiness (p = 0.021) and health satisfaction (p < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that migration pathway serves as a fundamental stratifying dimension associated with pathway-specific well-being profiles, advancing theories of stratified aging and informing targeted support systems for China's heterogeneous migrant older population.