A cohort comparison of relationship between mobility and union formation among young adults in the US

Migration and residential mobility hold significance among young adults in the transition to adulthood, representing a life course event such as a transition to independence from parents and family, a turning point which diverts previous experiences, and an investment behavior for maximizing life chances. Despite several studies on the relationship between mobility and family formation, little is known about the role of mobility in union formation (i.e., marriage and cohabitation) and how that relationship has changed over time. By using two comparable datasets of different birth cohorts from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and 1997 (NLSY79 and NLSY97), this study examines how moving events are related to union formation and how the relationship has changed across decades in the United States. As the NLSY studies have collected panel data from nationally representative samples of two birth cohorts, that is, those born in 1957-1964 for the NLSY79 and born in 1980-1984 for the NLSY97, the current study will contribute greatly to understanding the changing role of migration and residential mobility as a life course event in the United States.