Rural in-migration in England and Wales 1980–1981

A partially constrained Poisson regression model approach was used to examine 31,356 district-level flows into and between rural areas in England and Wales between 1980 and 1981. Using a 13 category classification of origin districts the extent of population decentralisation into 23 remote and 55 most remote rural districts was considered. Firstly, it is shown that there were substantial differences between the migration patterns involving rural districts in the north and south of England and Wales. Secondly, those individual districts attracting unusually large and unusually small numbers of migrants were identified and districts within Cornwall were shown to be especially attractive destination areas. Thirdly, the 50 largest standardised residual flows were examined and it is clear that moves between districts with high proportions of employees in the armed forces were especially large. The results suggest that military redeployment was of considerable importance in explaining the patterns of rural in-migration in England and Wales between 1980 and 1981. Little evidence of a major redistribution of poulation from the largest urban centres to the rural periphery was identified.