Are younger adults becoming less residentially mobile? A decomposition analysis of British trends, 1997–2019

Abstract

AbstractExisting evidence suggests that rates of population mobility are falling in many Global North countries. However, the magnitude, selectivity and the drivers of U.K. relocation trends remain poorly understood. Using survey data and regression decompositions, this study examines how relocation propensity during the traditionally highly mobile phase of young adulthood changed in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2019. The results show that rates of long‐term address changing in young adulthood fell over this period due to changes in behaviour. Relocation has also become harder to predict as rates of address changing have fallen most sharply among those groups who were formerly the most mobile. The paper concludes by reflecting on the possible causes of these trends and the ways that more temporary forms of mobility may be substituting for long‐term relocations as transitions to adulthood become more protracted and precarious.