Variations in migration motives over distance

Abstract

BACKGROUND It is often assumed that long-distance migration is dominated by employment or educationally led motives and that local-scale mobility is linked to family and housing adjustments. Unfortunately, few empirical studies examining the relationship between motives and distance exist. OBJECTIVE Recognising that the relationships between migration motives and distances are likely to be context-specific, we explore and compare the relationship in three advanced economies: the United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden. METHODS We use three sources of nationally representative microdata: the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) (2009-2018); the Australian Household, Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) survey (2001-2016); and a Swedish survey of motives undertaken in spring 2007. LOESS smooth curves are presented for each of six distance-motive trends (Area, Education, Employment, Family, Housing, and Other) in the three countries. RESULTS The patterns offer some support to the common assumptions. In all three countries, housing is the most commonly cited motive to move locally. Employment is an important motive for longer-distance migration. Yet, interestingly, and consistent across the three national contexts, family-related considerations are shown to be key in motivating both shorter-and longer-distance moves.

Internal Migration and the Role of Intergenerational Family Ties and Life Events

“…The importance of nonresident family has been further supported by the findings of recent studies of self‐reported motives for migrating. Using data for the United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden, Thomas, Gillespie, and Lomax () found family‐related factors to be just as important as a primary motive for migrating as employment or educational concerns, while a more detailed study of the United Kingdom revealed desires to live closer to nonresident family/friends to be the most frequently cited family‐related submotive (Thomas, ).…”

Nonresident family as a motive for migration

“…However, survey research indicates that a large proportion of those who move long distances do so for social reasons (Morrison and Clark 2011;Niedomysl 2011). In fact, a recent comparison of migration in three countries found that individuals cited resident and nonresident family as important reasons for migration regardless of the distance moved (Thomas, Gillespie, and Lomax 2019). Although the importance of family for international migration is well-documented (e.g., Boyd 1989), we still know very little about the role of nonresident family for internal migration, including the characteristics of individuals who report nonresident family as their motive for moving.…”

A spatial dynamic panel approach to modelling the space-time dynamics of interprovincial migration flows in China

“…That is, a slight change in the age structure of a regional population will have a great influence on current and future flows, especially in the contemporaneous period. This suggests that herd effects may dominate in migration processes, in line with the employment-oriented long-distance migration trends (Thomas, Gillespie, and Lomax 2019).…”