Migration Propensity of Peripheral Youth: Insights from the Italian Inner Areas

The social and economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic risk exacerbating the preexisting intergenerational and interregional inequalities, as well as the ones manifesting within countries, such as those between core and peripheral areas. In particular, in the latter, especially in Italy, the gaps in the access to opportunities and essential services risk affecting the future of the new generations, also compromising the development of the whole country. In this context, understanding young people’s aspirations and needs is vital to produce evidence-based knowledge to inform policies promoting opportunities to stay in or return to these territories. This paper investigates young people’s migration propensity uncovering the individual characteristics and the pull and push factors explaining their willingness to leave Italian inner areas or to live and work there. The results come from a nation-wide survey carried out on a representative sample of about 950 young people residing in inner areas in Italy through a structured questionnaire designed and administered as part of the research-action project “Giovani Dentro†. The study provides new and timely information on the difficulties, desires and plans of young people who choose to stay in or return to peripheral areas.