Air Pollution and Migration in European Cities

ABSTRACT This article aims to provide new and robust evidence of the effect of air pollution on migration at the level of 70 European cities in the period 2004–2019. We use factor and regression analysis and panel data conducted from Eurobarometer, Eurostat, national statistical offices, and the European Environment Agency. We set a unique approach to examine human migration as we look for a connection between the perceived quality of air of city inhabitants and net migration. The results show that both perceived quality of air and objectively measured pollution can be considered as migration factors. Moreover, we examined that, in general, Eastern European cities attract more migrants than Western European cities and that seaside cities lose more inhabitants due to migration than inland cities, but these differences are not connected to air pollution and thus can be contributed to other non-observed factors.