Study shows drop in long-distance moves not due to economic slumps | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Study shows drop in long-distance moves not due to economic slumps Study shows drop in long-distance moves not due to economic slumps Published: July 28, 2011 Author: Susan Guibert and Paul Murphy While Americans have a storied past with internal migration dating back hundreds of years, the number of people relocating within the U.S. has dropped to a 30-year low. University of Notre Dame economist Abigail Wozniak, together with Raven Molloy and Christopher Smith of the Federal Reserve, reviewed 30 years of data and found that the recent slump in the housing market and economic conditions play little part in the decline. The study will be published in mid-August in the Journal of Economic Perspectives. “The decline in long-distance moves has attracted attention as part of the housing crisis and recession,” Wozniak says. “Economists are worried about two things: that underwater mortgage holders will not move for job opportunities because they will have to take a loss on their homes, and that low migration is slowing the recovery more generally. We find instead that migration has been trending down for years, and recent events have not exacerbated it.” Specifically, the researchers found that states with high percentages of homeowners with negative equity are no more likely than other states to see a decline in long-distance migration of their residents. The researchers were able to rule out changing population demographics, rising female labor-force participation and changing homeownership rates as forces behind the decline. “We hope to say something more definitive about the cause of the decline in the future,” remarked Wozniak, “because we think it will tell us something important about long run changes in the U.S. economy.” Contact: Dr. Wozniak is available for interviews and can be reached at 617-233-7180 (cell) or a_wozniak@nd.edu. From: Susan Guibert and Paul Murphy, Office of Public Relations, 574-631-2867, sguibert@nd.edu Posted In: Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 05, 2022 Astrophysicists find evidence for the presence of the first stars October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 22, 2022 Climate-prepared countries are losing ground, latest ND-GAIN index shows For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn