Exploring the factors and differentials driving contemporary internal migration in South Africa.

Abstract

This study explores the factors and differentials driving contemporary internal migration in South Africa looking at migration for South african citizens and then touch on inter-provincial migration. There is limited research done on internal migration in South Africa and globally. The bulk of studies done on migration focused the most on international migration and there is enough literature on international migration. However, internal migration has limited literature though moves mostly happen nationally rather than internationally. This study uses community survey 2016 (CS2016) data which was conducted by Statistics South Africa. The overall aim of this study is to explore migration factors and differentials driving internal migration between the year 2011 which was the year the last census was done and 2016 the year community survey 2016 was conducted. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and STATA 15 software was used to analyse data. A nested logistic model was used to explore the factors and determine differentials among the exploratory variables. It was evident in the study that all the independent variables chosen for the study does influence migration singularly and when combined with others. Nested models for the general population, females, and males were able to show the effectiveness of each independent variable in contributing to migration. The finding from this study can help the government in implementing policies since it shows how the South African population moves with the country at a municipal level and provincial level.