Volume 33 - Article 32 | Pages 939–950  

Residential mobility in early childhood: Household and neighborhood characteristics of movers and non-movers

By Elizabeth M. Lawrence, Elisabeth Root, Stefanie Mollborn

Abstract

Background: Understanding residential mobility in early childhood is important for contextualizing influences on child health and well-being.

Objective: This study describes individual, household, and neighborhood characteristics associated with residential mobility for children aged 0-5.

Methods: We examined longitudinal data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), a nationally representative sample of children born in 2001. Frequencies described the prevalence of characteristics for four waves of data and adjusted Wald tests compared means.

Results: Moving was common for these families with young children, as nearly three-quarters of children moved at least once. Movers transitioned to neighborhoods with residents of higher socioeconomic status but experienced no improved household socioeconomic position relative to non-movers.

Conclusions: Both the high prevalence and unique implications of early childhood residential mobility suggest the need for further research.

Author's Affiliation

• Elizabeth M. Lawrence - University of Nevada, Las Vegas, United States of America EMAIL
• Elisabeth Root - University of Colorado Boulder, United States of America EMAIL
• Stefanie Mollborn - University of Colorado Boulder, United States of America EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

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The persistent southern disadvantage in US early life mortality, 1965‒2014
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