The Social Support Network of "Ant Tribe" in Beijing

Abstract

"Ant tribe" is a unique group emerges during social transition in China. Due to their large quantity, poor livingcondition and high education level, more and more attention has been paid to them by policy makers and researchers.In the current study, we analyzed the characteristics of their social support network based on a network survey on"ant tribe" in Xiaoyuehe district, Beijing. We found that the social network connectivity of "ant tribe" was weak; thenetwork structure was unstable; some key persons had salient and dominant influence in social interaction; a lot ofcomponents existed in the network. Implications for policy makers and other vulnerable groups are discussed.