The Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Political Determinants of Migration Aspirations Among Young People in Kosovo

Abstract

The current study aims to examine the impact of demographic, socioeconomic, and political determinants on young people’s intention to migrate aged 14 to 29, drawing from a secondary analysis of the survey conducted by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) of Kosovo youth, which has been carried out from 2018-2019. The findings showed that being unmarried and unemployed were a significant predictor of migration aspiration. In contrast, gender, age, and residency were not significant. National pride was one of the strongest predictors of lower migration aspiration. The results of this study didn’t show a significant relationship between a lack of trust in the national government and a higher wish to migrate. Voting intentions were negatively correlated with higher migration aspirations. Lastly, higher pessimism about the country's future significantly predicted higher migration aspirations. The findings of this study can advance understanding of the impact of demographic, socioeconomic, and political factors on migration aspiration and inform strategies to prevent uncontrolled mass migration among youth.