Age at First Adult Migration and Repeat Internal Migration

Using Europe as a case study, this chapter tests the hypothesis of a negative association between the age at first adult migration and the number of lifetime internal migrations. It extends previous knowledge by establishing how the strength of this association varies between countries and by extending geographical coverage to 27 countries. The analysis shows that the age at first migration shapes future migration behaviour by influencing both the timing and the odds of progressing to the second migration. Early ages at first migration are associated with (1) greater odds of transitioning to the second migration and (2) younger ages at subsequent migrations, which in turn increase the probability of transitioning to a high-order migration. However, the impact of the age at first migration is mitigated by the spacing between consecutive migrations and the length of migration careers, which is delineated by the age at last migration. While a small proportion of late starters catch up to record the same number of lifetime migrations as early starters, most do not, which confirms the long-lasting imprint of age at first migration on subsequent migration behaviour. In turn, these mechanisms help shed new light on variations in the level of internal migration between European countries. The analysis shows that lifetime immobility contributes to cross-national differences in the level of internal migration to a small extent. It is the level of repeat migration that underpins internal migration differentials in Europe. Younger ages at first migration in the north and west of Europe contribute to higher levels of lifetime migration in these countries and its effect is reinforced by later ages at last migration and shorter migration spacings compared with countries in southern and eastern Europe.