Do Migrants Exhibit More Grit? A Research Note

Strong expectations exist for the selectivity of migration along key demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, and education, which are often linked to social and economic drivers. Scholars acknowledge, however, that migratory behavior is also likely to be selective on characteristics that are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Demography 2024-10, Vol.61 (5), p.1309-1323
Main Authors: White, Michael J., Myroniuk, Tyler W., Ginsburg, Carren, Pheiffer, Chantel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adversity
Bivariate analysis
Demographics
Demography
Destinations
Economics
Emigration and Immigration - statistics & numerical data
Female
Gender
Geographic mobility
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Migrants
Migration
Multivariate analysis
Perseveration
Population Studies
Psychosocial factors
Rural Population - statistics & numerical data
Rural urban migration
Sex
Sex education
Sex Factors
Social behavior
Sociodemographic Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Sociology
South Africa
Statistical analysis
Surveillance
Transients and Migrants - psychology
Transients and Migrants - statistics & numerical data
Urban Population - statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
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Summary:Strong expectations exist for the selectivity of migration along key demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, and education, which are often linked to social and economic drivers. Scholars acknowledge, however, that migratory behavior is also likely to be selective on characteristics that are less readily observable. This research note expands the list by examining “grit”—in other words, a measure of perseverance in the face of adversity. We test for a relationship between South African rural–urban migration, net of other standard covariates, and an established composite psychosocial measure of grit. We draw on two waves of survey data originating from a demographic surveillance platform but with respondents followed irrespective of their subsequent geographic mobility. Simple bivariate regressions suggest that grit is strongly associated with migration. Using multivariate models, we continue to detect a statistically significant association of migration with grit in the presence of controls. When the model is further refined to stratify by sex and separate geographic destinations, a sex differential emerges, with grit being more predictive for females. We conclude by suggesting that such findings should encourage broader inquiries that consider grit and other psychological characteristics, particularly investigations that might help further illuminate differentials by the experience of gender.
ISSN:0070-3370
1533-7790
1533-7790
DOI:10.1215/00703370-11577556