The Effect of Migration on Quality of Life: A Case Study of Migrant Families from Kouhdasht County Living in Shahr-e-Ghods and their Non-migrant Counterparts in the County

Migration from less developed to more developed areas is the general pattern of migration in developing countries. Such migration is mainly done to increase the quality of life as a response to inter-regional inequalities. This study tries to answer the question of whether the migration affects the quality of life. The target population includes the heads of migrant families from Kouhdasht county living in Shahr-e-Ghods and their counterparts in the the country. The required information was obtained through a questionnaire using the survey method. Using the random sampling method, 400 households (200 migrants and 200 non-migrants) were selected. In order to test the research hypotheses, statistical techniques of t-test, chi-square and multivariate regression were applied. The results show that migrant families, on the whole, have a relatively better quality of life than their non-migrant counterparts. Those with less education and unemployed individuals have reported a higher quality of life. Inequality in the social and economic amenities between the two regions and differences in the social and economic characteristics of migrants and non-migrants are the main explanatory factors.