Migration Behavior of Students in a Northern Russia City

Abstract

The problem of insufficient population of the Arctic territories is one of the urgent problems of the state. A possible source of population and potential labor is the northern regions located in the immediate vicinity of the Arctic zone. Demographic and social problems of the North are reflected in the social behavior of young people. The inability to meet their own needs leads young people to decide on migration and, accordingly, to reduce the labor potential of the region. In this paper, issues related to the definition of migration attitudes, causes and factors of youth migration were raised. The purpose of the study: to determine the migration attitudes of young people and the migration behavior that implements these attitudes. The object of the study was the final year students of various fields and levels of education. A semi-structured interview was chosen as the research method. Based on the interviews conducted, the main groups of strategies that reflect the migration behavior of young people, as well as their key features, were identified. The main criteria for the formulation of strategies were the orientation of migration plans and the activity in the manifestation of migration behavior. On their basis, 4 groups of migration strategies were identified: active (“Moving”, “Settling”) and passive (“Waiting for moving”, “ Waiting for conditions»). The tendency of informants to active or passive strategies of migration behavior is determined by a number of factors that are significant for a particular individual, having both internal and external nature. Of the external factors, the current place of residence is more affected, and of the internal factors, the level of education. The factors are differentiated depending on the group of strategies. Those seeking to move are more likely to pay attention to the development of the entertainment infrastructure and career prospects, who have chosen their current place of residence – predictability and stability of future conditions, the ability to communicate with loved ones. Based on the results of the research, it is proposed to focus on the factors that are important for passive strategies, since this will allow for a more effective impact on the migration behavior of young people.