The “New Urban Poor” Identity: Evidence from China

Chen Tong

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 2021, vol. 80, issue 3, 977-990

Abstract: Higher education can play a crucial role in shaping one’s social identity, and a diploma from a prestigious institution has a positive effect on a person’s social status. However, the expansion of college enrollment in 1999 in China weakened the capacity of a college diploma to confer on graduates a distinct identity as someone of high standing. For youth from rural backgrounds, higher education was once the most important channel for upward social mobility. As the social value of a college diploma has declined, most college graduates from rural backgrounds have been assigned a new identity: the “new urban poor” (NUP). This article discusses the construction and characteristics of the NUP identity in China, using evidence from television series.

Date: 2021
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