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From role identity to place attachment: A cross-scale emotions study of urban migrant volunteers

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Although research has established cross-scale emotions, limited attention has been given to the cross-scale emotional processes of migrant volunteers. This study employed survey research with migrant volunteers in Shenzhen, China, to collect data on their role identity, place attachment, job crafting, perceived institutional support, and social capital. Drawing on identity process theory and place embeddedness theory, the findings revealed a cross-scale relationship from role identity to place attachment. Specifically, the emotional transition of migrant volunteers from personal to place was mediated by job crafting. And the macro-sociocultural environment emerged as a boundary condition influencing individual behavior and emotions, with the perceived institutional support and social capital strengthening the relationship between job crafting and place attachment. By elucidating how urban migrant volunteers’ emotions transfer from personal social roles to geographic spaces across scales, this study enriches place attachment theory through the incorporation of micro-social foundations.

Source: Urban Studies

DOI: 10.1177/00420980261434873

Authors: Xiaodan Zou, Xiaomei Cai, Jie He, Xingxing Peng

Institutions: Sun Yat-sen University, South China Normal University, Guangzhou University, Central South University of Forestry and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Place Attachment and Urban Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Social Science Fund of China