A great deal of public policy advocacy has been influenced by the notion that the United States is becoming an "increasingly mobile society" - that the population is changing residence at increasing levels. However, a new study provides empirical evidence in favor of an opposite trend.
In fact, overall mobility has generally declined since about 1950, and interstate mobility has generally not increased during the same period. The data supporting this is reported in the February 2005 issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 45, No. 1).
Authors Douglas A. Wolf of Syracuse Universitys Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Charles F. Longino, Jr. of Wake Forest University sought to disprove the widespread belief that citizens are moving apart from their families in greater numbers. They were primarily concerned with predictions that older Americans separated from their adult children would place a significant burden on caregiving services for aged persons.
Their information shows that short-distance mobility rates have declined substantially over the last 50 years, whereas long-distance moves have declined less sharply or have even remained relatively unchanged.
Todd Kluss | Source: EurekAlert!
Further information: www.geron.org
More articles from Studies and Analyses:
Study Shows Sweetener Marketing Tactics May Mislead Consumers
20.11.2009 | Corn Refiners Association
Debt Stress Drops for Third Straight Month, Survey Finds
20.11.2009 | Ohio State University
Scientists Unravel Evolution of Highly Toxic Box Jellyfish
20.11.2009 | Life Sciences
When good companies do bad things: Examining illegal corporate behavior
20.11.2009 | Business and Finance
UCR plant scientist's research spawns new discoveries showing how crops survive drought
20.11.2009 | Agricultural and Forestry Science
Multidisciplinary meeting on Urological Cancers aims to benefit cancer patients
20.11.2009 | Event News
'Golden Age' for clinical psychology in Northern Ireland
20.11.2009 | Event News
New Perspectives in Marine Anti-Fouling Research
11.11.2009 | Event News