Understanding mobility and immobility choices in vulnerable coastal settlements: insights from southwest India

This study explores the influence of social, environmental, governance, and other household factors on migration decision-making in hazard-affected coastal areas in southwest India. Through nearly 900 interviews with households residing in these vulnerable areas and with households that have migrated elsewhere, this paper analyses the determinants that influence the propensity for migration versus staying, as well as for voluntary immobility versus involuntary immobility. Logistic regression was used to distinguish significant factors. The results showed that governance factors and the extent of impact were the most influential in migration decision-making, while social and household factors were the most relevant in determining voluntary non-migrants. The decision to migrate was found to be strongly influenced by post-disaster rehabilitation assistance by the government, while the decision to stay was influenced by the kind of coastal protection measures that were in place. These insights have significant implications for migration and planned relocation policies and can be leveraged to design more effective interventions for both immobile and migrating populations.Key policy insights Government efforts in building coastal structures, especially hard-engineered measures, such as groynes, were observed to be significant in creating voluntary immobility.However, more awareness is needed around the potential long-term negative impacts associated with hard-engineered measures, while soft-engineered measures need to be promoted.Relocation projects can increase acceptability by preserving the sociocultural context and through active involvement of the community.The financial strain resulting from recovery expenses can trap households in risky regions despite their willingness to migrate Providing government support for rebuilding or resettlement, in accordance with residents’ preferences, can reduce the formation of trapped populations.The trapping of lower-educated and lower-income households should be addressed through targeted financial assistance and support for diversifying income.