1 July 2020

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung published an analytical report „Leaving Serbia – Aspirations, Intentions and Drivers of Youth Migration“ authored by Danica Šantić.

The research was conducted in four municipalities in Serbia showing that a predominant response relating to support to migration (both internal migration and outmigration) is in favor of supporting or fully supporting mobility, i.e. 41.4 percent in total or 44.7 percent in urban and 33.7 percent in rural population. Higher aspirations to move are present among younger cohorts, especially in the age group of 20-24, with more than 50 percent. Overall, women have higher mobility aspirations than men.

The perception on who is leaving is pretty clear among local residents. The highest share of all respondents stated that young people were moving out from the selected municipalities.

84.5 percent of respondents think that migration intensity is much higher today than it was 10 years ago.

As for the question of migration of young people observed as a threat or opportunity for development, the highest share of unspecified answers (19.6 percent) and those referring both to opportunity and threat (16.7 percent) lead to a conclusion that the population in Serbia is insufficiently aware of the importance of economic and social capital of the diaspora, failing to see the possibility and benefits of return and circular migration. To that effect, a predominantly pessimistic perception on migration as a threat and a limiting factor for development is evident. Thus, 56.1 percent of respondents see the phenomenon of migration as a threat and only 6.6 percent see a positive link between migration and the development of local communities. However, the highest share of all respondents who emphasize a positive correlation is found among youth cohorts aged 20-24 (14.8 percent). Also, this is the only age group with a less than a 50-percent share (45.7 percent) of answers relating to the negative connection between migration and development.

The report contains in-depth insights on mobility desire and intentions, main drivers of migration as well as policy recommendations for youth migration.