Dentsu Inc. conducted a "National Survey on the Actual State of U-Turn Migration"

#Management/Business#Social issue#Insights/Research#Regional Revitalization#Survey#Relocation

The text of the Dentsu Inc. news release distributed on February 21 is as follows.

February 21, 2018

Dentsu Inc. Conducts "National U-Turn Migration Survey"

－ Dentsu Inc. Conducts "Nationwide U-Turn Migration Survey" －

Dentsu Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Toshihiro Yamamoto) conducted the "National Survey on the Actual State of U-Turn Migration" targeting 1,714 men and women aged 20 to 60 currently residing in 64 cities nationwide who have actually experienced U-turn migration. This comes amid accelerating U-turn migration driven by regional revitalization efforts.

For this survey, "U-turn migrants" are defined as individuals who left their hometown to live in the Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama) and now live in or near their own or their spouse's hometown by their own choice. This excludes U-turns due to external factors such as job transfers.

The survey results revealed three major factors influencing the decision to return: stress, parents, and hometown affection. These were: a perceived decline in the appeal of metropolitan life coupled with stress ("The metropolitan area isn't a place I can live in forever/isn't a place to live" (28.1%)); parental factors ("I wanted to live near my parents" (24.5%)); and hometown affection ("After being away, I rediscovered the charm of my hometown" (14.5%)).

Concerns cited by returnees included "work" and "money," but these anxieties diminished as post-relocation specifics became clearer (see left chart below). "When moving to Tokyo" When asked to rate their life satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10 across four phases—"Moving to Tokyo," "Before Relocation," "Immediately After Relocation," and "Currently"—40% of respondents reported satisfaction levels of 8 to 10 ("highly satisfied") during their initial move to Tokyo. This figure dropped to 27.7% while living in Tokyo. However, looking at the "Currently" phase after relocation, 48.2% reported high satisfaction, indicating that many people experience increased life satisfaction after returning to their hometown (see right figure below).

Changes in Job Anxiety Among Returnees

Life Satisfaction Before Migration, Immediately After Migration, and Currently

Other key survey findings are as follows:

・Over 50% of returnees moved to Tokyo intending to eventually return
・Approximately 60% made the decision and moved within six months
・Reasons for returning: Younger generations cite Tokyo stress; prime working age and mature generations cite parental circumstances

For detailed survey results, please refer to the attached Dentsu Inc. News Release [PDF].

　
<Survey Overview>
・Title: National Survey on U-Turn Migration
・Survey Period: Thursday, October 19, 2017 – Monday, November 13, 2017
・Survey Method: Internet survey
・Survey Company: Dentsu Macromill Insight, Inc.
・Survey Participants: 1,741 U-turn migrants aged 20 to 60

End