Migration

 

The SARs, particularly the 2% SAR, have allowed research into the characteristics and mobility patterns of migrants, and how in-migrants differ from non-migrants. Related work has examined how migration relates to other social and economic outcomes such as economic activity and health. This has complemented work using the Special Migration Statistics.

• Characterisitcs of migrants
  Because of the large sample size and the individual level information on the SARs, including migrant status, the characteristics of migrants can be analysed. For example, this information has helped to understand differences in the movement of elderly people depending on their marital status and other characteristics (Al-Hamad et al, 1997, see also Al-Hamad et al, 1995).
  
  
• Mobility
  The data also allow analysis of inward migration in the last year which can provide evidence to the debate over the role of social housing in restricting residential mobility and employment opportunities (Boyle, 1995a). This is a question with important policy implications to which survey data can hardly answer. Boyle (1995a) uses the SAR to assess the impacts of tenure on long-distance migration compared with short-distance migration. Logits models are used to control for the effects of a wide range of socio-economic variables, allowing the independent impact of tenure to be identified. The results show that long-distance migrants are less likely to move into council housing than other tenures, but this does not support the assumption that the sale of council housing will necessarily increase labour mobility. Rather, increasing the supply of public housing, combined with more advertising of working class jobs more widely, may be more effective ways of increasing the migration propensities of the working classes.