Communities Could Be Driving Away Migrants They Need

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Migrants are more mobile than the native-born population. They've moved before and Gallup data collected over the past decade show they are typically more likely to want to move again. This is true regardless of whether they think their cities or areas are good or bad places for migrants to live.

However, if migrants live in communities that they think are not good places for migrants to live, they are even more likely to want to move on. While those who do not want migrants living in their communities may not see this as a problem, this dynamic is important because it could actually end up driving away the migrants many economies can least afford to lose.

This dynamic among migrants could have potential workforce and economic implications. Worldwide, working-age migrants and those with college educations are significantly more likely to want to migrate if they think their communities are not good places for migrants to live than those who think their communities are good places.

	Good place for migrants	Not a good place for migrants
	% want to move	% want to move
Age
15 to 29	32	41
30 to 59	21	31
60 and older	11	15
Education
Elementary education or less	22	25
Secondary education	23	32
College degree	22	35
Among first-generation migrants
Gallup World Poll 2010-2018

These relationships are particularly important because the regions with the biggest gaps in migrants' desire to migrate are also some of the world's top destinations for migrants. For example, the gaps in migration desire among those who see their communities as not good versus good for migrants are largest in the European Union (14 percentage points) and the Middle East and North Africa (13 points).

Notably, these relationships hold in Northern America as well, but the sample sizes for migrants who think their communities are not good for migrants are too small (less than 100) to report numbers separately.

	Good place	Not a good place	Difference
	% want to move	% want to move	pct. pts.
European Union	28	42	14
Middle East and North Africa	23	36	13
Commonwealth of Independent States	17	24	7
Latin America and the Caribbean	27	34	7
Sub-Saharan Africa	35	37	2
Asia	15	17	2
Among first-generation migrants. Northern America not displayed because samples were too small.
Gallup World Poll, 2010-2018

There are gaps in migrants' desire to migrate (depending on whether they think their communities are good or bad places) in almost every country within the EU. The gaps are quite large in some countries where there has been significant backlash against migrants -- and where migration has become a contentious political and social issue.

In the UK, for example, where the gap is 17 points, 56% of migrants who say their communities are bad places would like to leave, versus 39% who say their communities are good places.

	Good place	Not a good place	Difference
	% want to move	% want to move	pct. pts.
Luxembourg	16	34	18
United Kingdom	39	56	17
Ireland	26	42	16
Austria	14	30	16
France	25	39	14
Cyprus	28	40	12
Belgium	27	35	8
Croatia	21	29	8
Greece	34	38	4
Latvia	18	15	-3
Estonia	17	14	-3
Slovenia	24	22	-2
EU countries where sample sizes of migrants who think communities are not good places is at least 100
Gallup World Poll, 2011-2018

Notably, these relationships also hold in Germany, but the sample size of migrants who think their communities are not good for migrants is too small (less than 100) to report numbers separately.

There are gaps in migrants' desire to migrate (depending on whether they think their communities are good or bad places) in most countries across the Middle East and North Africa as well. The gaps are quite large in countries with large migrant populations such as Saudi Arabia (26 points), Libya (21 points) and the United Arab Emirates (19 points). Israel and Jordan are notable exceptions.

	Good place	Not a good place	Difference
	% want to move	% want to move	pct. pts.
Saudi Arabia	23	49	26
Libya	50	71	21
United Arab Emirates	16	35	19
Kuwait	24	38	14
Israel	13	13	0
Jordan	34	32	-2
MENA countries where sample of migrants who say their communities are not good places is at least 100.
Gallup World Poll, 2010-2018

In the EU, the gaps are biggest among working-age migrants, while the effect is the same for all education groups. In MENA, the gaps are highest among migrants with the highest level of education.

Implications

People in most regions are at least as likely -- if not more likely -- to see their communities as good for migrants than they've been in the past. In most parts of the world, this is true of both the native-born and migrant populations -- and particularly of migrants. But the key difference between them is that if migrants don't see their communities as good places for them to live, they are more likely to want to move on.

Younger migrants, by their nature are more mobile to begin with, and those with more education have more options. So, if countries need migrant workers, this dynamic is important to pay attention to because it could potentially be driving away the migrants many economies desire to keep -- and ones they want to attract.

For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.

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