Does moving in childhood and adolescence affect residential mobility in adulthood? An analysis of long-term individual residential trajectories in 11 European countries

摘要

The impact of childhood mobility on a range of life outcomes has been examined, but its influence on the likelihood to move in adulthood remains largely unknown. This paper examines the impact of changing residence in childhood on mobility levels in early and mid-adulthood in 11 European countries. Drawing on nationally representative retrospective residential histories from the Study of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the paper uses negative binomial regression to assess how the number and timing of moves from birth to age 17 affect the likelihood to move between the ages of 18 to 50 for individuals born between 1918 and 1957. While the level and timing of childhood moves vary between countries, childhood moves significantly increase the likelihood to move in adulthood in all our sample countries but Austria. The effect is particularly pronounced in low mobility countries in the south, east and centre of Europe where moving as a child is less common. While changing residence in adolescence is particularly influential, in some countries pre-school relocations also have a long-lasting effect on subsequent mobility. Conceptually, these results demonstrate the importance of viewing mobility as a cumulative process that takes place over the entire life-course of individuals. Drawing on key migration and mobility concepts, we formulate a schematic decision-making framework that traces the relationship between past and future moves. We conclude that the impact of changing residence in childhood on mobility behaviour later in life could contribute to reinforcing diverging trends in mobility levels across Europe.