Typical relationship structure

The connotation of the relationship structure

Snippet of raw data

Actual utility of life corresponds to life course stage

The individual is in a specific life

course stage, and he/she gets the current actual utility of life

I#05 I have no sense of happiness in Beijing, and I come to Beijing just for earning money. I feel that I have been living at the bottom of the society (Respondent I#05, who is now 37 years old and is in the life course stage of late youth, gets his actual utility of life)

I#14 Now I can score 60 to 70 points on the happiness of living in Beijing, and I feel that I am not as happy as living with my parents (Respondent I#14, who is now 24 years old and

is in the life course stage of adolescence and youth, gets her actual utility of life)

“Normative utility” corresponds to life course stages

At each specific life course stage, the society has corresponding

expectations for utility of life toward people who live

in mega-cities

I#04 If people at the stage of 30 to 40 years old live in Beijing, their income should be above

average and their job should be as stable as possible. If people don’t like their jobs, they can choose the industry which they want to work in. People aged 30 to 40 should be married with houses and cars. Moreover, the family often travels, and the children can go to

school normally in Beijing (Respondent I#04 believes that the main goals that people who live in Beijing in the life course stage of late youth should achieve, and the realization of these goals will ultimately leads to the utility of life expected by the society)

I#15 People living in Beijing between the aged 20 and 30 should have stable accommodation,

and be able to afford their own expenses. If they don’t have a family, they should have a certain friendship. After getting married, people should have their own houses, be able to afford the family’s expenses, and make sure that their children can go to school normally. Also, when people get sick, the company will have a certain amount of reimbursements

(Respondent I#15 thinks that the main goals should be achieved by the people

who live in Beijing in the life course stage of adolescence and youth, and the realization

of these goals will ultimately leads to the utility of life expected by the society)

EFL is formed based the comparison

between a person’s actual

utility of life and

“normative utility” in his/her specific life course stage

In the current life course stage, the person perceives the result of the comparison between his/her actual utility of life and the

“normative utility”, so that the person can make a pre-judgment or estimation of living conditions in the future

I#20 & I#21 We have stayed in Beijing for a long time and we don’t have any feeling or sense of happiness. Anyway, we need to work hard to make money. There is no way to do it

and it’s all for the next generation. We can’t afford a house in Beijing and my children can’t take the college entrance examination here. These problems can’t be solved. When my children’s major problems are solved, we will leave Beijing and return to our rural home (Respondent I#20 and I#21 compare their current actual utility of life with the “normative utility” and hold the expectations for the future life, which is “to have decided to live in mega-cities for a period of time and then move to another place”)

I#09 People aged 30 to 40 who live in Beijing should have a stable source of income with their own houses, and give their children a fair opportunity of education. There is still a gap between my present life and the ideal state, but I am still working hard to achieve it. The happiness of my life in Beijing in the past few years is relatively high, but it has declined a little in recent years. I intend to continue working in Beijing for a while, because I really want to work in Beijing when I was a child and I will never forget my first thought. However, considering the future environment of Beijing, if the efforts of easing the non-core functions are intensified, I may not be able to live in Beijing and I will choose to move to other cities for development. The clothing industry I am engaged in is a labor-intensive industry, which is the target of easing non-core functions by the Beijing Municipal Government (Respondent I#09 compares his current actual utility of life with the “normative utility” and holds the expectations for the future life, which is “to live in mega-cities for a while and then make a decision on where to live in the future”)

I#22 I am very satisfied with the current work and living conditions and the happiness of living in Beijing is getting higher and higher... I want to work in Beijing and do some businesses in the pharmaceutical industry in the future. However, I will not go back to my hometown. (Respondent I#22 compares his current actual utility of life with the “normative utility” and holds the expectations for the future life, which is “to stay in mega-cities in the future”)