Leave or Stay? Community Environment Change and Resident Mobility in Tourism Gentrification

ABSTRACT Residential mobility is a common phenomenon of tourism gentrification that has been extensively studied from social, economic, and political perspectives, leaving community psychology untouched. This study introduces a theoretical model that assesses the intention of residents to relocate by examining their perceptions of community change and relative deprivation—the comparison of one's own or another's circumstances to determine whether they are “better” or “worse”. In order to enhance the representativeness, 313 valid responses were collected in both urban and rural areas. It was found that perceived social conflict can lead to three types of relative deprivation, but personal development cannot result in intergroup relative deprivation. Additionally, the relationship between relative deprivation and residents’ intentions to relocate was found to be mitigated by social capital, which focuses on social relationships. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications have been discussed.