A Longitudinal Study of Past Influences on Migration

Theresa M. Fedor, Utah State University

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of age at first adult migration on later migration behavior using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79 (NLSY79). The use of longitudinal data enables the creation of a more complete picture of an individual’s migration behavior over the life course and of differences in life event migration patterns. We propose that each migration event is correlated with other migration events in an individual’s life. Specifically, this study shows that the age of first adult migration differentially influences subsequent migration events. Results show that migrants who experienced primary migration in their late twenties are more likely to migrate in later adulthood than people of the same age who experienced primary migration in their early twenties.