How Selective Mobility, Social and Ecological Influence may Impact Geographic Variations in Life Satisfaction Scores: An Australian Longitudinal Study

The spatial clustering of life satisfaction scores noted in recent empirical research suggests that ‘happier’ people may live in specific neighbourhoods or regions. This prompts the questions: Do ‘happier’ people choose to move to specific places? Does living in specific places make people ‘happier’? To answer these questions, this paper explores possible occurrences of selective mobility, and social and ecological influence. Using panel data collected in Australia from 2013 to 2021, we examine the association between life satisfaction scores and selective geographic mobility, and the possible influence that living at specific locations may have on individual life satisfaction trajectory, while controlling for individual personality traits and socio-demographic factors. Our results indicate that urban residents reporting lower life satisfaction scores before the move have a higher probability of moving to a rural area. Similarly, lower life satisfaction scores are associated with a higher probability of moving to a region with a different climate. We also find evidence that moving from the city to the country is associated with an uplift of the life satisfaction trajectory for the individual. A similar conclusion is reached for people who moved to a warmer climate, but not for a move to a cooler climate. To our knowledge, this is the first time the concepts of selective mobility and social and ecological influence have been applied in life satisfaction research. Our work provides an indicator that can be important to demographers predicting population movements. It can also inform policy development around assisting regional and rural areas attract/ retain residents to support regional sustainability.