This study contributes to the literature on peer influence and delinquency by examining the moderating role of school-level teacher quality in contemporary China. Based on social control theory and taking an ecological perspective, our multilevel analysis of the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) data found that among Chinese middle school students, affiliation with deviant peers correlated with delinquent behaviors; this peer effect was moderated by the proportion of accredited senior teachers at school. With high school-level teacher quality, youth delinquency can be suppressed despite deviant peers; in the absence of qualified personnel, delinquency will emerge with deviant peer affiliation. Our findings suggest China’s educational disparities could lead to diverging behavioral risks among youth, potentially reinforcing existing social inequalities in China.

This study contributes to the literature on peer influence and delinquency by examining the moderating role of school-level teacher quality in contemporary China. Based on social control theory and taking an ecological perspective, our multilevel analysis of the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) data found that among Chinese middle school students, affiliation with deviant peers correlated with delinquent behaviors; this peer effect was moderated by the proportion of accredited senior teachers at school. With high school-level teacher quality, youth delinquency can be suppressed despite deviant peers; in the absence of qualified personnel, delinquency will emerge with deviant peer affiliation. Our findings suggest China’s educational disparities could lead to diverging behavioral risks among youth, potentially reinforcing existing social inequalities in China.