How well does the ‘counter‐urbanisation story’ travel to other countries? the case of Norway

ABSTRACT The predominant theories in rural population research are largely rooted in counter‐urbanisation contexts, and it seems that the academic and political thinking about rurality is influenced by these ideas in countries beyond those actually experiencing counter‐urbanisation. One outcome of this research is the construction of rural in‐migration as mainly related to a desire for a rural lifestyle. This paper illustrates in two ways that such representations are not suitable for understanding migration into rural Norway. Firstly, longitudinal data confirm that urban–rural migrations do not increase but encompass a minimal and steady share of the rural population. Secondly, survey data suggest that rural in‐migrants are more likely to be motivated by family relations and economic concerns than that by anti‐urban preferences for rural living. Migrants moving into the metropolitan fringes, however, are better fit for the motivation structure indicated by the prevailing models of counter‐urbanisation. Thus, the paper adds further context to the largely British counter‐urbanisation narrative and cautions researchers of population change in remote rural areas about using conceptualisations originating in the core regions of Europe and America.