Why Did Urban Exodus Occur during the COVID-19 Pandemic from the Perspective of Residential Preference of Each Type of Household? Case of Japanese Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

The background of this study is the urban exodus that occurred in Japanese metropolitan areas. The research question of this study is about the reasons why the urban exodus occurred in Japanese metropolitan areas. For the analysis, the objective of this study is to clarify the residential preferences of each household type in relation to the urban exodus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japanese metropolitan areas. The method of this study is a web questionnaire survey. The sample comprised 593 respondents who migrated from ordinance-designed cities to other municipalities in metropolitan areas between April 2020 and March 2022. In conclusion, this study elucidates that migrant household type as urban exodus is households whose eldest child had enrolled in elementary school or above. Regarding residential preferences, the household type changes the importance of community and environment, rather than the working arrangement. This result is novel and essential because it clarifies that the household type tends to place more importance on the quality of childcare environment, ties to communities, the presence of a large garden/balcony, and utilizing opportunities to experience the community, such as via trial migration support programs.