Analyzing Migration Decisionmaking: Relationships between Residential Satisfaction, Mobility Intentions, and Moving Behavior

Research on migration decisionmaking has been centered on the notion that residential satisfaction and mobility intentions are intervening variables which fully mediate the effects of structural factors on moving behavior. Results from empirical studies, however, have rendered only modest support for this view. The author examines the role of residential satisfaction and mobility intentions vis-à-vis structural variables in migration decisionmaking with the aid of data drawn from the 1985–1989 waves of the American Housing Survey. A conceptual model is derived which is based on behavioral theories developed in social psychology, namely the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior. Several previously ignored links among structural variables, mobility predispositions, and moving behavior are incorporated. Empirical analyses show that, although satisfaction and intentions are important predictors of mobility, most of the structural variables that are commonly known to be related to migration also have direct effects on subsequent moving behavior, independent of satisfaction and intentions. The theories of reasoned action and planned behavior provide a theoretical framework for a better understanding of the complex relationships between structural variables, residential satisfaction, mobility intentions, and behavior.