A Sample of Migration Tendencies in Iran's Rural Communities and its Influencing Factors: Toyserkan Case Study

This paper tries to measure the extent of villagers’ tendencies to migration. The research has been conducted descriptively as a survey, using a questionnaire. Sampling was done through multi-stage cluster method; the samples included 200 persons of Toyserkan Township – Hamedan. The independent variables of the research were as follows: education, age, gender, individual’s relationship with the villagers, expecting relatively better income after migration, assuming that the migrated relatives and acquaintances may enjoy a better life, the level of individual’s satisfaction with his village, the village population, the distance between the village and the city. Statistical methods used were “frequency distribution table”, “T-Student Test”, “one-way analysis of variance”, “dual regression”, and “multiple regression analysis”. The results of the study indicate that the following variables were influential on the respondents’ migration tendencies: education, age, individual’s relationship with the villagers, expecting relatively better income after migration, and finally assuming that the migrated relatives and acquaintances may enjoy a better life. These variables explain 63 percent of various migration tendencies. The remaining 37 percent are explained by other factors than studied in this paper.