Residential Mobility Preferences, Expectations, and the Mismatch Between the Two: Insights from Baltimore Area Residents

• In Event: 40821 - Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 10. Neighborhood Preferences and Residential Mobility

Abstract

Following a decades-long decline in residential mobility rates, scholars have cautioned that low levels of internal migration might have adverse social and economic consequences. While mobility trends reflect actualized moves, we do not know if they also reflect individuals’ mobility preferences. Drawing on survey data from a representative sample of Baltimore City and County residents, we examine mismatch between people’s mobility expectations and preferences. We show that the majority of residents have a preference for moving beyond their current neighborhood and find that homeownership contributes to explaining a mismatch between one’s preferences and expectations for moving. This is consistent with current descriptions of the housing environment that is characterized by dwindling supply and skyrocketing mortgage rates. In demonstrating that homeownership may stand in the way of residential moves that people also prefer, our findings complicate our understanding of homeownership as a stabilizing element.

Authors

• Alexi Williams, Johns Hopkins University

• Gorana Ilic, Johns Hopkins University

• Marin Olson Beal, Johns Hopkins University

• Michael D. M. Bader, Johns Hopkins University