Who\u27s calling Iowa home?: a study of inmigrants to select rural Iowa counties since 1993

摘要

As nonmetropolitan migration becomes a more common occurrence for households across the United States, a need to address both societal and economic issues associated with this movement arise. The issue of \u22push-pull,\u22 or the examination of both what was expected as a result of the move to a new state and then what will contribute to the desire of the recent immigrants to remain in the state is an important area of study. Data from the pilot study conducted by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University, entitled \u22Living in Iowa\u22, was used to explore characteristics of recent inmigrants to nonmetropolitan areas in Iowa since 1993. The purpose of this study was threefold, and examined 1) basic demographic characteristics of recent inmigrants 2) the pull factors tied to the inmigrant\u27s decision to move and 3) direct and indirect identification of the expectations and findings of recent immigrants to the state of Iowa.;Nested model logistical regression tests were conducted using groups of independent variables in four models. The dependent variable was the desire of inmigrants to remain in their current communities of residence for the next ten years. The independent variables explored in this study included the vitality level of the county settled in, previous Iowa residency status, demographic characteristics (age, education, income, and gender), pull factors (desire to move to state and employment issues), and finally, economic attractiveness of the community. Findings imply that significant factors affecting the desire of recent immigrants to remain in the same Iowa community were the vitality level of the county, level of education, age, desire to move to Iowa, and the cost of living.