Abstract
South–North and North–North migration patterns have received significant interest in the literature, and recently, studies have begun to investigate South–South migration. However, as yet, very few studies have addressed North–South migration or investigated the psychological facilitators and barriers that drive this growing migration pattern. With a sample from a representative group of Hong Kong adults, we evaluated the role of positive attitude in shaping the intention to migrate from Hong Kong, a more‐developed economy (a metropolitan area), to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities in Mainland China, considered a less‐developed economy (with less metropolitan areas). We found positive attitude toward GBA cities in Mainland China promoted migration intention both directly and indirectly, as mediated by situational concerns and experience of visiting Mainland GBA cities. The impact of a positive attitude on a field visit was found to be weaker among wealthier adults relative to their economically disadvantaged counterparts. The effect of a field visit on migration intention was found to be stronger among wealthier adults relative to their economically disadvantaged counterparts. The findings suggest that an understanding of social psychology has implications for policy makers through highlighting the different approaches and entry points that could be adopted to encourage migration by people of varying economic status.