Life Satisfaction, Hopelessness, and Attitudes Toward Irregular Migration Among Young Adults: The Moderating Role of Risk-Taking

Migration is an inevitable aspect of human existence, but youth attitudes toward irregular migration have recently become a growing concern among policymakers, researchers, and government officials in developing countries like Nigeria, where challenging living conditions and lack of opportunities to achieve an individual’s potential often influence migration-related attitudes. While previous studies have largely focused on economic and structural factors, limited research attention has been given to the psychological determinants of irregular migration attitudes. Hence, this study examined life satisfaction and hopelessness as predictors of attitudes toward irregular migration among Nigerian young adults, with risk-taking propensity as a moderator. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 564 undergraduates from federal, state, and private universities in Nigeria, and four standardized psychological instruments, which include the Satisfaction With Life Scale, Attitudes Toward Unauthorized Migration Scale, General Risk-Taking Propensity Scale (GRiPS), and Hopelessness Scale, were used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM, version 3.0). The results showed that life satisfaction had a significant negative influence on irregular migration attitudes and also indicated that hopelessness had a significant positive influence on attitudes toward irregular migration. Again, risk-taking propensity had a positive influence on migration attitudes and also served as a positive moderator in the relationship between hopelessness and irregular migration attitudes among young adults. Therefore, these findings indicate that hopelessness alone may not be sufficient to explain why some Nigerian young adults develop favourable attitudes toward irregular migration. Rather, the influence of hopelessness appears to depend on the individual’s propensity to engage in or tolerate risk. In conclusion, findings of this study suggest that practical interventions aimed at addressing irregular migration among young Nigerians should extend beyond economic and structural measures to incorporate psychological and behavioural components, particularly programmes that enhance life satisfaction, reduce hopelessness, and promote safer decision-making among risk-prone young adults.