Exploring antecedents to climate migration: sense of place, fear and worry, and experience

Abstract

The bond between people and the place they live has significant implications for their migration decisions. However, few studies have examined how this relationship endures in the face of experience with climate-related hazards and associated emotions, and whether detachment from place may be related to future migration. Here we address this gap using cross-sectional survey data from a representative probability-based sample of 1479 residents of Texas and Florida—areas frequently affected by coastal hazards—to investigate the interplay between place attachment, place detachment, negative hazard experiences, hazard-related fear and worry, and prospective migration. We found that place attachment and detachment were inversely associated with one another, and that hazard-related fear and worry was associated with higher place detachment. Results indicated that place detachment and hazard-related fear and worry were positively associated with prospective migration, while place attachment was negatively associated with prospective migration. The absence of place attachment and presence of detachment may lower psychological barriers to relocation in the face of climate change. Negative hazard experiences were not associated with place attachment, place detachment, or prospective migration. However, our post-hoc analyses found an indirect association between negative hazard experiences and prospective migration, mediated by hazard-related fear and worry. This suggests that psychological correlates of climate hazards, possibly arising from experiencing them, may inform people’s sense of place and future migration decisions. Our findings highlight the salience of relationships with place in migration decisions and stress the importance of explicitly examining negative sentiments towards place in migration studies. These insights can both improve climate migration models and help tailor policies and programs aimed at supporting detached, fearful, and worried individuals in anticipation of future climate-related hazards.