Migration and Regional Differences in Access to Local Family Networks

Regional differences in dependency ratios are often referred to as a potential problem in aging societies. The need for formal care is potentially higher if the informal care is scarce, and in regions where few elderly have a local family network, pressure increases on support from public sector. Geographical distance between family members is the result of accumulated migration and non-migration in all generations in different phases of life, resulting in staying close, moving away or moving closer to family members. The focus of this study is the regional differences in proximity between family members and the demographic processes that produce geographic variation in elderly people’s access to local family networks. The study is based on a quantitative analysis of register data and utilizes the unique opportunity that is available in the Swedish population registers to link individuals to their family networks, place of residence and workplace.