printThe Dynamics of Chinese Migration Perception:
from Dominant Threat to Situational Pragmatism (the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Case)
Endryushko A.A
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Research Fellow, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia anna.endryushko@mail.ru
Endryushko A.A The Dynamics of Chinese Migration Perception: from Dominant Threat to Situational Pragmatism (the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Case). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2025. No 11. P. 65-76
The article analyzes the dynamics of migration from China perception in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the period from 2019 to 2024. Based on data from representative surveys (1400– 1500 respondents annually), it is shown how the geopolitical situation and information background transformed the attitude of Yakuts to Chinese migration, highlighting the Chinese against the background of other groups of migrants (from Central Asia and the Caucasus), who maintain a persistently negative image. China’s position in the migration anti-rating dropped from leading in 2019–2022 to last in 2024, “leaving behind” all groups, including migration from Ukraine and Belarus. The results of the study in the republic (which are consistent with the all-Russian data) demonstrate that at present China’s place in the Russian “migration hierarchy” is determined rather by current bilateral relations, the foreign policy context and the information background, rather than by cultural stereotypes. The identified trends in the region, which is part of the Far Eastern Federal District bordering China, require further study of their sustainability, especially when the socio-political situation changes.
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