Territorial Identity and Migration Intentions of the Vologda Region Residents

The article examines the territorial identity of residents of the Vologda Oblast and its relationship with migration moods. The study is based on data from the 2023 sociological survey “Sociocultural Portrait of a Russian Region” (2023 round). The findings indicate that a significant proportion of Vologda residents experience joy in living in their homeland and do not express strong migration intentions. However, despite this, one-third of respondents exhibit ambivalent feelings toward the region: while they hold a generally positive attitude toward their place of residence, they are dissatisfied with certain aspects, which makes them more open to the possibility of relocating in the future. Additionally, respondents tend to be more accepting of the idea of their children migrating, particularly to major cities and the capital. The analysis revealed that age and education influence migration attitudes, both in relation to the respondents themselves and their children. Younger individuals are more likely to consider relocating, while the older generation is more inclined to stay in their home region and, in more than half of the cases, expresses a desire for their children to build their future in the Vologda Region. Residents with postgraduate education are less likely to want to move themselves but are more supportive of their children migrating to larger cities. Respondents who are satisfied with their lives and feel secure about the future are more likely to want their children to stay in their homeland, compared to those who do not share such sentiments. The relevance of this study is heightened by the fact that parents play a significant role in shaping and realizing their children's migration attitudes. The findings highlight the importance of taking migration sentiments and territorial identity into account when shaping regional migration policy.

migration, territorial identity, migration intentions, migration moods, migration attitudes, regional migration, Vologda Oblast