Report highlights rural and island youth outmigration

A report by the Scottish Government's Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population exploring the migration and mobility of young persons and young adults in rural Scotland has been published.

Rural and island youth outmigration has been a growing area of concern with the demographic of communities being disproportionately affected. 

This new report - ‘Migration and Mobilities - Trajectories of Young People and Young Adults in Rural Scotland - aims to:

• provide an overview of recent migration patterns of young people and adults aged 16 to 45 years in rural and island areas in Scotland drawing on existing data

• offer insights on the experiences of and attitudes to migration /mobility in the lives of these age based on a review of peer reviewed and grey literature and a workshop with the Young Islanders’ Network 

• identify key messages and learning points for research and policy development 

There has been a long-standing focus on rural youth outmigration in Scotland by government. In the context of growing concerns about the sustainability of rural communities associated with population aging and decline, recent policy interest in rural young people and adults has included significant focus on ‘outmigration’ as a problem to be addressed. 

And, despite a policy rhetoric emphasising both ‘retention and attraction’ of young people/adults, retention has tended to dominate in Scottish policy discourses.

The report recognises that there no panacea or single overarching rural youth strategy that will address the situation; the issues that need to be addressed involve many sectors and policy domains. This is acknowledged in the Scottish Government’s Addressing Depopulation Action Plan (2024).

The report highlights that one of the major barriers to address in policy making and implementation is the existing power imbalance based on age where the active participation of young people and adults is not mainstreamed across all sectors and layers of governance. 

Young people and younger adults continue to feel excluded from decisions on issues and policies (e g. education, housing, transport, etc.) that impact on their lives.  The importance therefore of networks such as the Young Islanders Network, Rural Youth Action Network and events such as the Scottish Rural and Island Youth Parliament (SRIYP) and the Scottish Rural and Island Parliament (SRIP) are crucial opportunities to address these issues. 

You can access the full report at Migration and Mobilities - Trajectories of Young People and Young Adults in Rural Scotland

Photo credit: Maria Sbytova via Canva