Escaping from air pollution: The psychological process of domestic migration intention among urban people

Abstract

Rapid urbanization with poor city planning has resulted in severe air pollution in low- and middle-income countries’ urban areas. Given the adverse impacts of air pollution, many responses have been taken, including migration to another city. The current study explores the psychological process and demographic predictors of migration intention among urban people in Hanoi, Vietnam – one of the most polluted capital cities in the world. The Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) was used to construct the model and perform Bayesian analysis on a stratified random sampling dataset of 475 urban people. We found that the migration intention was negatively associated with the individual’s satisfaction with air quality. The association was moderated by the perceived availability of a better alternative (or nearby city with better air quality). However, the high migration cost due to geographical distance affected the perceived availability of a better alternative negligible. Moreover, it was also found that male and young people were more likely to migrate, but the brain drain hypothesis was not validated. The results hint that without air pollution mitigation measures, the dislocation of economic forces might occur and hinder sustainable urban development. Therefore, collaborative actions among levels of government, with the semi-conducting principle at heart, are recommended to reduce air pollution.

Investigation into the Rationale of Migration Intention Due to Air Pollution Integrating the Homo Oeconomicus Traits

“…When choosing among places with suitable opportunities for the same purpose, people perceive migrating over a longer distance to be more costly, physically and financially (Miller, 1972), as well as in terms of information diminishing (Schwartz, 1973). Indeed, those who have migration intention in search of another city with better air quality are more likely to choose a nearby city rather than a faraway one as their destination (Vuong et al, 2021b). When migrating to a new environment, the cost of distance is physical and should be considered on the aspect of "cultural distance", or in other words, the complex effect of culture shock (Ward, Bochner, & Furnham, 2020).…”