Residential Mobility as a Life Strategy for Youth: An Analysis of Migration Intentions Among Young People

This study explores the potential to interpret the regional mobility of today’s youth through the lens of mobility theory as a dimension of life strategy. Traditionally, domestic mobility among young people has been explained in terms of employment, better job opportunities, and the enjoyment of urban culture. However, to adequately explain the diverse patterns and mechanisms of youth mobility in the 2020s, a broader approach is necessary. This research expands upon existing population mobility models by incorporating variables related to the general state of youth life and future prospects, examining how these factors influence migration intentions. The analysis reveals that young people’s negative experiences or perceptions of constraints, in terms of economic conditions, subjective well-being, and the feasibility of future prospects, increase their likelihood of intending to migrate to other regions. These findings suggest that the youth may consider migration to different areas, regardless of their current residence, as a form of life strategy. This study also finds differences between metropolitan and non-metropolitan youth within the youth cohort. While perceptions of life constraints and conditional disadvantage in future realization are common to both cohorts, the variables that are significantly influential are more pronounced in the non-metropolitan group. These findings suggest that population policies related to the migration of young people need to more actively consider both their life prospects and local context.