Racial Differences in the Effects of Neighborhood Disadvantage on Residential Mobility in Later Life

Abstract

Objectives: Past research on the residential mobility of older adults has focused on individual-level factors and life course events. Less attention has been paid to the role of the residential environment in explaining residential mobility in older adults. We sought to understand whether neighborhood disadvantage had predictive utility in explaining residential relocation patterns, and whether associations differed between Whites and non-Whites. Method: Data are from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults. Neighborhoods were defined at the census tract level. Local movers (different census tract, same county) and distant movers (different county) were compared with stayers. Results: After adjusting for individual-level factors, neighborhood disadvantage increased the likelihood of a local move, regardless of race/ethnicity. For non-Whites, higher neighborhood disadvantage decreased the likelihood of a distant move. Among local movers, Blacks and Latinos were less likely to improve neighborhood quality than Whites. Discussion: Neighborhood disadvantage may promote local mobility by undermining person-environment fit. Racial differences in access to better neighborhoods persist in later life. Future research should explore how older adults optimize person-environment fit in the face of neighborhood disadvantage when the possibility of relocation to a better neighborhood may be restricted.

Relocation and Network Turnover in Later Life: How Distance Moved and Functional Health Are Linked to a Changing Social Convoy

“…Although local moves are the most common type of late-life relocation, surprisingly little research addresses this movement apart from the entry process into long-term care facilities (Longino, 2001). Drawing from recent research on patterns of local churning among marginalized seniors (Riley et al, 2016), we considered whether network shrinkage among local movers was attributable to signs of contextual disadvantage. Even with these extra controls, however, local movers with a preexisting disability showed a decrease in network size.…”

“…In contrast, older adults who move less than 5 miles experience more network shrinkage relative to nonmovers, but again this is primarily among those with more severe preexisting disability. Supplementary analyses (available upon request) investigated whether the latter pattern could be explained by predictors of local churning (Riley et al 2016)-neighborhood disadvantage and neighborhood instability-but there was no evidence of this possibility.…”

“…Short-distance moves also often reflect instability tied to economic circumstances (e.g., threat of eviction and poor housing conditions). This pattern of relocation, sometimes called local churning (Riley et al, 2016), is likely correlated with tenuous social connectivity (Cornwell, 2015). Although the mechanisms would be different from those proposed in the moving on hypothesis, it is plausible that the network outcomes of local churning look similar to those of distant movement.…”

“…Research on late-life North American geographic mobility emphasizes the diverse motivations for moving, mainly differentiating amenity-based relocation (often among the recently retired) from support-driven moves attached to health or emotional needs, often following widowhood (Banks, Blundell, Oldfield, & Smith, 2012; Litwak & Longino, 1987). Many older Americans, moreover, regularly experience a “local churning” form of mobility where they relocate to another home within their existing neighborhood (Riley, Hawkley, & Cagney, 2016). These considerations suggest that one late-life move is not necessarily similar to another.…”

Age-Friendly Communities and Cultural Pluralism: Examining Saskatoon’s Chinese-Canadian Social Enclave

“…Internationally, a number of studies are beginning to demonstrate the intersection of ethnocultural marginalization and older age as factors to one's physical health, social well-being, and quality of life. Ethnicity has proven to introduce barriers to older-adult community participation (Bird et al, 2009), to dictate the degree to which one's neighbourhood amenities affect the overall quality of life (Blanco & Subirats, 2008), and to impact one's ability to move away from undesirable neighbourhoods (Riley, Hawkley, & Cagney, 2016). Marginalization among older adults may lead to decreased social connection within communities (Walker & Hiller, 2007) and to reduced social participation and political influence (Burns, Lavoie, & Rose, 2012).…”