Short‐ and long‐distance moves of young adults during the transition to adulthood in Britain

Publication type

Journal Article

Authors

Publication date

July 15, 2018

Summary:

This paper examines spatial mobility of young adults in England and Wales in the 1990s and the 2000s. We investigate short‐ and long‐distance moves of young people by cohort and gender adjusted for individuals' socio‐economic characteristics and changes in other life domains. We study how much employment, partnership, and family changes explain variation in spatial mobility across birth cohorts and between males and females. We apply multistate event history analysis to data from the British Household Panel Survey. We move beyond a single‐event approach and analyse moving trajectories of young adults. The results show that the youngest cohort (born in 1985–1990) leaves the parental home later than the two older cohorts (born in 1974–1979 and 1980–1984), but once they leave the parental nest, they exhibit elevated levels of spatial mobility. We find that females leave the parental home earlier than males; however, there are no gender differences in the levels of higher order moves. By contrast, socio‐economic differences in spatial mobility are persistent; young people from advantaged backgrounds are spatially more mobile than those who come from disadvantaged families. Changes in educational enrolment and level, partnership status, and economic activity explain only little of the differences in spatial mobility across cohorts and between males and females suggesting also the importance of other motives behind the moves. The results are similar for short‐ and long‐distance moves, although the risk levels are higher for the former.

Published in

Population, Space and Place

Volume

Volume: 24

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2125

ISSN

15448444

Subjects

Link

- https://lib.essex.ac.uk/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2328489

#525157

News

Latest findings, new research

Publications search

Search all research by subject and author

Podcasts

Researchers discuss their findings and what they mean for society

Projects

Background and context, methods and data, aims and outputs

Events

Conferences, seminars and workshops

Survey methodology

Specialist research, practice and study

Taking the long view

ISER's annual report

Themes

Key research themes and areas of interest