Why Some People Leave Certain Regions in Favor of Others: Motives Behind Interregional Migration in Russia

Abstract

The motives behind resettlement are a key issue in the study of migration. Factors that attract and repulse migration are analyzed via in-depth interviews with two groups of internal migrants: (1) emigrants from the Trans-Baikal Territory — one of the least attractive Russian regions in terms of migration, (2) immigrants to the Krasnodar krai — one of the most attractive regions. This article not only identifies and highlights particular motives, the order in which they are mentioned but also analyzes their significance and priority in the narratives depending on the region of emigration/immigration. Most migrants mentioned labor (economic) opportunities as well as the urban environment, infrastructure, opportunities for personal development and leisure as motives for migration. However, environmental and climate reasons are mainly considered by interviewees to be secondary. Family motives are closely related to other reasons and do not fit well into the system of push-pull factors, since they characterize not the region of exit/settling, but the personal situation of the informant.

Acknowledgments. The article is based on a research project being part of the RANEPA state assignment.