The Pursuance of Better Quality of life: In the Long Run, Better Quality of Social Life Is the Most Important Factor in Migration

Abstract

Abstract. A model is developed to explore the relationships between interregional migration and regional variations of quality of life. The model incorporates the impact of the interregional variations of the various aspects of quality of life including economic, political, environmental, social, health and education. The long‐run and short‐run migration data for 65 major U.S. standard metropolitan statistical areas are used to test the model. The results suggest that unlike the conventional conclusions, economic factors are not so important in motivating interregional migration. Rather, it is shown that in the long‐run the pursuance of better quality ot social life turns out to be the most important factor. In the short‐run, the results suggest that the pursuance of better environmental quality is the dominant factor in explaining the interregional migration.

Parallels Between Objective Indicators and Subjective Perceptions of Quality of Life: A Study of Metropolitan and County Areas in Taiwan

“…The psychological dimension of life was not taken into account. Other scholars incorporated multiple indicators, such as social welfare, political affairs, education, and medical services to better portray life quality as a whole (Hsieh and Liu 1983). Through economic growth and improvement in social services, rural development efforts have attempted to provide a better quality of life as well as to reduce out-migration.…”

“…and to portray the achievement or failure in certain domains of quality of life for a place (Diener and Suh 1997;Hsieh and Liu 1983). Studies that concentrate on the subjective dimension argue that an individual's cognitive perception or satisfaction with a place deserve equivalent attention because such a perception reveals the subjective evaluation of the life experience (Campbell et al 1976;Veenhoven 1996).…”

Migration and Environmental Hazards

“…These changes, it is argued, enhance the role of personal preferences in migration decision-making processes (Zelinsky, 1971). Given research suggesting that individuals often express preferences for residential environments free of environmental hazards (e.g., Blackwood & Carpenter, 1978;Hsieh & Liu, 1983;McAuley & Nutty, 1982), it might be suggested that modernization increases households' ability to act freely upon these preferences for less risky residential environments.…”

“…In addition, levels of air pollution and healthy environments are often noted as desirable residential attributes (e.g., Blackwood & Carpenter, 1978;McAuley & Nutty, 1982). Further, Hsieh and Liu (1983) argue that in the short-run, "pursuance of better environmental quality is the dominant factor in explaining interregional migration" (emphasis in original, p. 431). The rural turnaround of the 1970 s in the U.S. suggested that environmental amenities such as mountains, lakes and "other areas of natural beauty" represent contextual characteristics of importance within rural destinations as well (e.g., DeJong & Sell, 1977:177).…”

Calidad de vida y expectativas de migración en jóvenes de zonas rurales del Estado de México

“…Estudiar la calidad de vida es conocer las condiciones generales en que vive la comunidad, ya que una mejor calidad de vida no sólo son mayores ingresos (Hsieh y Liu, 1983). Es un proceso de mejora para estar bien socialmente, manifestándolo como el resultado de una combinación de políticas públicas e inversiones en educación, salud y desarrollo de infraestructura, entre otros (Rooy, 1978).…”