Youth Reeducated: The Economic Preference Impacts of China's Sent-Down Movement

Abstract

We survey Chinese adults, many of whom experienced the sent-down movement asadolescents, to identify the impact of forced rustication on economic preferences andattitudes. To distinguish the effect of being sent down from the effects of confoundingfactors correlated with the likelihood of being sent down and the duration of stay, weexploit a discontinuity in the probability of being sent down resulting from the unan-ticipated termination of the movement. We find that individuals who were sent downare more risk averse, more altruistic, and more likely to return the kindness of others.They are also less likely to support redistribution policies or trust the government.

Keywords: the sent-down movement, economic preferences, China