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Migration in Alaska
EPSCoR All Hands meeting
May 14, 2009
Anchorage
Stephanie Martin
Institute of Social and Economic Research
University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, AK USA
Acknowledgements
• National Science Foundation– Social Transitions in the North– Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic– Boreas– Migration in the Arctic– EPSCoR
• North Slope borough• National Park Service, Alaska Department of Fish and
Game
• US Census Bureau
Connections
• Macro effects of micro-decisions– Community effects of out-migration
• Micro effects of macro forces– Climate change– Global economy
• So far integrated over projects and communities – Who moves and why– Are migrants better off– Return migrants
• Goal to extend projects by integrating over disciplines and extending geographic and cultural scope– Out-migration– Return
Integration
930935
1615
10101149
777
1985-90
1995-00
Iñupiat migration in Alaska
Surveys
• Not designed to be migration surveys• Most ask where did you live 5 years ago or 1
year ago • Where were you born
• Return migrants - moved back to the community where they grew up.
• In-migrants – moved to a community other than where they grew up.
• Stayers – never left.
Migrant groups in the surveys
• More women move out• More men move back• Young adults• Some places, women with children
Who moves
Why people move
• More women than men considered leaving– Pull. Women cite own or children’s education,
family as reasons.• More men want to stay.
– Negative push factors. Hunting and fishing one of the main reported reasons.
What else?
• Return migration is important because of its implications for community level well being.
• Important for individual well-being because it is related to family ties and social support. Both essential for well-being.
Return Migration
• In Northern Alaskan communities, about 1/3 are return
• Return migration varies by community– Some communities are relatively new and
weren’t around when respondents were young.
– Some communities people leave and don’t return.
Return Migration
• Return migration varies by gender.– Mirroring the census data showing that more
women leave and more men return– Of men living in Arctic communities, 41% are
return migrants. – Compared with 34% of women
Why people leave
• Education– 52% of male return migrants reported leaving
for education– 42% of women return migrants
• Jobs– Equal percentages of men and women return
migrants (about 21% reported leaving for jobs)
Why people return
• Overwhelmingly, people return to be with family– A larger share of men (68%) than women
(58%)• A slightly larger share of women (13%) than men
reported returning for jobs• About 7% of both men and women reported
returning for subsistence.
Characteristics of return migrants
• Educated• Employed • Subsistence participation
– Less in whaling, walrus – Same in other activities
• Social support• Family ties
Moving forward
• Macro effects of micro-decisions
- Out-migration and its effects on communities• Effects of macro forces on micro-decisions
– Effects of climate change on communities• Leaky system.
Practical Importance
• Denali Commission and other federal agencies• State funding for schools, local government• State sport hunting/subsistence trade-offs• Urban areas – providing services• Understanding migration in other places
Different community profiles
• More very small communities (37 places)• Declining populations• Schools closing• High subsistence harvest but fewer species
– Moose, salmon, caribou
Well-being
Subsistence
Jobs Income
Social & family ties
Migration
Global social change
Physical change
River levels
Fire
Community Viability
Fuel prices
Biological change
Changes in wildlife
Households/Communities
Opportunities elsewhere
Infrastructure damage
Regional/local effects
Summary
• Until now: Integrated research in one field over time
• Going forward: Integrate research across disciplines
• Moved from micro effects on macro decisions to macro effects on micro
• Migration is a good example of leakage from system.
Research questions
• What are the points of contact between global forces and communities/households?
• What are thresholds for change?• Link these changes to resilience? • Resilience of what? Boundaries of system.
Leakage. • Community location?• What happens if communities vanish? Decay.