4. Conclusion

Swedes are the happiest to settle in and not move around in search of something new. They are the least likely to leave their place of origin and the least likely to move back once they have left. Correspondingly, the Swedish group also has the largest number of stayers. Swedes are especially likely to stay in their place of origin if it is a rural area. They were also most willing to move to a rural area in case some added benefits were involved. 

The views in Sweden towards the place of origin are somewhat divided, as Swedes are also most likely to move away from this place because of negative emotions towards it. Compared to other Nordic countries, the Swedish stayer group stands out in that it consists mostly of men. Male stayers are somewhat worse off than their Nordic peers because unlike in other Nordic countries, they are less likely to be in relationships, have children, or be employed. 

Finnish respondents are first and foremost characterised by being the most mobile group when it comes to women. Finnish women are the most likely group in all different groups examined to plan a move in the future, whether they are single, parents, unemployed, or with a higher academic degree. Respondents leaving their place of origin behind were also more dominantly women in Finland than elsewhere in the Nordics. Interestingly, despite reporting having a relatively strong personal bond with the place of origin, Finnish respondents were also very critical towards it, agreeing that it was a boring place where it was close to impossible to make new friends. There is a certain divide within the Finnish respondents, however, as the country ties with Sweden in having the largest share of people staying in their places of origin (despite still viewing it negatively in some respects). Compared to their Nordic peers, these stayers were more likely to be well established in their lives, if that is measured by their likelihood to have a partner, children, or a job. 

Finally, Finnish respondents have a clear preference towards urban areas: they are much less likely to leave an urban place than a rural one, and people living their place of origin behind are much more likely to say goodbye to a rural area. Despite this, the wish to live close to nature is an important driver especially for later moves, accompanied by housing needs.

Norway distinguishes itself from its neighbours by having the most people leaving their place of origin and never returning. They are, however, somewhat more likely to return to a rural area than an urban one. When looking at migration drivers, we notice that Norwegians are especially motivated to move for work or education throughout their lives, not only for their first move, possibly indicating that they are more prepared to move greater distances. Despite this, however, Norwegians are the least likely to move to another Nordic country. 

The Danish group sets itself apart from its neighbours as the most mobile one. According to the results of this study, Danes are most likely to leave their place of origin. Many of them remain open to returning in the future, although few have yet done so. They are most driven by the wish to live a different type of life: less likely to move for better services, amenities or housing and more likely to appreciate culture and leisure opportunities or the overall (urban) characteristics of their new residence. Perhaps as a result of this mobile lifestyle, Danes also report the weakest personal bond to their place of origin or to their current home. 

While Iceland has the largest share of people leaving their place of origin, a significant portion of them remain at least open to returning – especially if they come from a rural area. This is probably at least partially explained by the fact that Icelandic respondents have the overall strongest personal bond to their place of origin. In addition, they view it more positively all around, especially when it comes to reasons related to social networks. Regarding migration drivers, Icelandic people search for closeness with nature much less than their Nordic neighbours, instead being more drawn towards affordable or suitable housing. 

Icelanders are mobile actors also in the sense that they are most likely to move to another Nordic country or to use remote work as an enabler for a move. Despite feeling a close bond with their (possibly) rural place of origin, they are the least likely to move to another rural area for any added benefits.

Previous studies on the potential of rural migration (Niedomysl 2011) have already discovered that there is not much that can be done to turn the tide of rural out-migration since most people appear to leave rural regions behind willingly and are content with their choice. The results of this study point to the same conclusion: we notice that especially people who have left their place of origin to never return are looking for a different way of life in addition to filling their basic needs and demands (as represented by their wish to seek for more culture and leisure opportunities or a more urban way of life). This phenomenon becomes clearer still when we compare this group to those who are open to return and notice that in this group, practical reasons such as job seeking or education are more prevalent drivers for the first move. As one might expect, people also stay for more personal than practical reasons, the strongest of which are the personal bond with the place and a sense of community. 

Literature and these results point to the fact the personal preference behind the rural out-migration (especially in the case of Finland) is so strong that it cannot be overturned by policy measures or advertisement campaigns. Indeed, it is well known that it is wisest to focus on people with a pre-existing personal bond with the place and build venues for them to return as this constitutes a main migration driver (Fabre et al. 2015; Pedersen 2018). Here, it is worth remembering that the respondents are all under 40 years of age, which likely explains some of the strong urban drive in most respondent groups. The rural migration in search of a higher quality of life that Hanell and Mattila (2024) discovered is likely to happen later, as we notice that the importance of safety and closeness to nature increases with later moves. The older we get and the more established the basic building blocks of our lives are, the more important is the life beyond work and studies, whether rural or urban.

This study reinforces the concept of return-migration as something that is most clearly based on a strong personal bond and social ties with a place, embodied by an overall positive outlook on the place. In addition, the results expand on the concept of an attachment to a place by noting that people feel a very strong personal bond towards their place of origin in all groups. Only the ‘forever leavers’ feel more strongly towards their current home. However, this group has a relatively weak personal bond towards both places. All respondents, independent of their migration history or future plans, also view their place of origin overall more positively than their current home. 

New hybrid working and living patterns have shown that the distinction between a workplace and a home can be flexible (Rohrer & Granath Hansson 2024). This project's findings indicate that other aspects of our daily lives may also be fluid, such as the distinction between our origins and our current locations. The next question is whether policy and planning tools can assist municipalities and regions in leveraging this phenomenon for their benefit.