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. Contribution: Our analysis demonstrates how people move for different reasons, across different distances, in different national contexts. While typically associated with local-scale relocations, family-related motives are rarely mentioned in literature focused on longer-distance migration. The role of family in long-distance migration would thus appear to warrant far more attention than it currently receives.

Keywords

• australia
• comparative analysis
• internal migration
• residential mobility
• sweden
• united kingdom