Demographic Trends in the UK | Migration

What is migration?

• Migration refers to the movement of people from one geographical area to another

• Emigration is the term used to describe people leaving a geographical area

• Immigration refers to people coming into a geographical area

• Net migration is the measure of people coming into a country less the number leaving

What are the push factors of migration?

• Conflict Lack of employment

• Lack of resources

• Poverty

• Political situations

What are the Pull factors of migration?

• Education

• Employment

• Standard of living

• Family

• Climate

What is the impact of globalisation on migration?

• Greater cooperation between nations has led to free movement agreements for work and leisure- e.g European Union

• The global conflict has led to an acceleration of migration- conflicts in Northern Africa and the Middle East have led to an increase in refugees and asylum seekers

• The global nature of employment has seen the spread of Western companies overseas- e.g. education, healthcare, manufacturing

What are the impacts of migration?

• Changes to the demography of the UK

• Multiculturalism

• Impacts on social policy

• Hybridity

What are the changes to the demography of the UK?

Ethnic and age diversity with many immigrants being below the average age

What is multiculturalism?

Increased migration into the UK has led to greater diversity in the UK

What are the impacts on social policies?

Assimilationist policies such as citizenship tests encourage migrants to become part of British life

What is hybridity?

The development of hybrid cultures, such as British Asian that combine elements of British and Asian cultures

What are the other impacts of migration?

• Migration as a political issue- with increasing net migration over the past 15 years, migration has become a political issue in the UK

• Informed debates on Brexit and the ‘War on Terror’, with migration controls being cited as security concerns

• The rise in nationalism as a reaction to multiculturalism has increased the reporting of incidents of racially motivated hate crimes in recent years