Chinese migration, consumption, and housing in twenty‐first century Australia

Abstract

Abstract International migration has changed the demographics and dynamics of Australia's population since European settlement. It continues to be a principal driver in the growth of its cities, including a projected doubling of major city populations by mid‐century. The influence of migrants on metropolitan housing markets—and urban consumption more generally—has been significant, and the socio‐spatial influence of migration in Australia has been the focus of regular geographical research. Less researched is the impact that “importing” half of the nation's population growth each year has on consumption of urban resources and environmental impact, including via housing consumption practices. Evidence has also been lacking on changed consumption behaviours of migrants moving from developing to developed, high‐income societies—a barometer, perhaps, of a future trajectory of consumption within developing societies. The largest cohort of recent immigrants to Australian cities has been from China, and this trend can be expected to continue. This paper focuses on a comparison of urban consumption patterns (with particular focus on housing) among a group of 61 China‐born households prior to their migration to Melbourne post‐1995 and following their settlement in an established middle‐ring suburb of Melbourne (Box Hill). Using ecological footprint as the metric of consumption, results are striking. Not only do China‐born migrants “catch up” to Australian levels of urban consumption but they also surpass it in many cases. Findings are examined in relation to housing and urban context and a range of household sociocultural factors.

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