Why are They Moving Away? Comparing Attachment to Place in the Great Plains to the Rest of the Nation

Abstract

We combine a telephone survey of working-aged adults in the continental US with Census 2000 county and zip code tabulation area data to explore attachment to place. Using results of the 2000 US Census, we define cultural and economic regions. Our modified “Great Plains” area is that portion of the region that is experiencing population decline. We explore how attachment to place is different between the Great Plains and other regions of the US. Our measure of attachment to place is a question on the amount of additional income respondents would require to move to a similar community 500 miles away. We identify three respondent groups: unconditional migrants, conditional migrants, and unconditionally rooted. Basic tabulations and regression analysis reveal differences between the Great Plains and other regions. Natural amenities present in the community appear to play a role in shaping respondent attitudes towards relocation. Why are They Moving Away? Comparing Attachment to Place in the Great Plains to the Rest of the Nation A large proportion of the Great Plains has faced substantial out-migration in recent years. To better cope with this situation, policy makers need information on reasons why people choose to leave or stay in a community. It is easy to attribute human movement to simple job opportunities, but the true picture is more complex. A community is more than just a dot on a map. It is where our lives take place. It is the group of friends we‟ve known for years. It is the office where we got our first jobs. All of our institutions, our activities, and our identities are emplaced in a The Online Journal of Rural Research and Policy Vol. 4, Issue 1 (2009) 2 community (Gieryn 2000 1 ). So when an individual is deciding to move away from a community, there is more at stake than dollars and cents. The United States population is highly mobile, with fully 45.7% of persons over age 5 moving between 1995 and 2000 (U.S. Census, 2003 2 ). Nationally, the majority of these moves are within a region (U.S. Census, 2003 3 ), but the Great Plains is notable for its propensity for outmigration. Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas all experienced net outmigration in the 1995 – 2000 period. A declining place wishing to stabilize its population must reduce movement away, increase inward movement, or both. From a practical standpoint, keeping current residents seems less challenging, and motivates our focus on the determinants of attachment to place in the Great Plains. A migration decision involves more than comparing incomes and costs of living in a potential destination and origin together with the out-of-pocket expenses of closing the old house and setting up a new house. In addition to job prospects, people consider many other conditions and attributes of the sending and receiving communities when deciding to migrate. A decision to move out of a community also reflects an individual‟s (and household‟s) utility that considers an array of different factors. In addition to these factors, attachments to place change over time. As we finish our education, have children, or buy a retirement home, our attachment to community changes to reflect our tastes and preferences at the time. So attachment to place varies not only from person to person, but across the lifespan. In addition to local amenities and community attributes, individuals are tied to broader regional culture systems and institutions that shape individuals' utility. For example, an individual living in a place with a unique regional identity and culture, like Appalachia, may have a different attachment to place than a person who lives in a more culturally homogenized location. In this paper, we test to see if it is reasonable to assume that attachment to community is uniform across the United States, or if different regions exhibit differing levels of attachment to place ceteris paribus. The various regions in the United States exhibit very different cultures, values, and preferences. The Great Plains region in particular has been experiencing lower net migration rates than other regions in the United States for many decades (Rathge & Highman, 1998 4 ). Migration trends have been traditionally explained by economic and amenity factors, but perhaps determinants of migration are different in the Great Plains. The relationship between an individual‟s willingness to move and various other factors may help in the understanding of problems and solutions that are specific to the Great Plains. To explore how attachment to place differs between the Great Plains and other regions, we developed and analyzed a national telephone survey to measure attachment to place. Respondents were asked how much additional income it would take for them to move from their current community to a similar community 500 miles away. Answers ranged from $0, by those who are apparently desperate to move, to infinity (no amount could ever move me) for individuals firmly anchored in their communities. Why are They Moving Away? Vol. 4, Issue 1 (2009) 3 This financial representation of willingness to move reflects individual-specific utility, and is expected to vary from person to person, from county to county, and perhaps region to region. In this paper we explore the relationship between willingness to move and individual, community, and regional characteristics. We also test to see if willingness to move is uniform throughout the continental United States, or if certain regions, the Great Plains in particular, demonstrate significantly higher or lower willingness to move. By better understanding willingness to move, policy makers can be equipped to make more informed decisions regarding population retention and growth in their respective communities, and understand which demographic characteristics and community amenities are most critical.