Definition
The direct retrospective self-report cross-sectional method is a common approach for detecting and measuring migration that is based on a comparison of survey respondents’ current and prior places of residence. In its most basic form, “migrants” are those whose current and former places of residence differ. The method is highly flexible as it can be applied to various observation units (e.g., persons and households), can be easily aggregated (e.g., to those living in a particular region or possessing some demographic characteristic), can identify both recent and more distant migration events, and can capture moves at various spatial scales.
Concept and Usage
The retrospective approach to migration is likely the most widely used method for estimating migration and is employed extensively to evaluate gross and net flows across areas, particularly in the United States where administrative data on migration is limited. The widespread use of this method is due to its many key...
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Hall, M. (2015). Measuring Internal Migration: Retrospective Self-Report. In: Bean, F., Brown, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Migration. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6179-7_93-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6179-7_93-1
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