The importance of classification schema choice in internal mobility: An examination in contemporary Mexico

Abstract

AbstractA large number of Censuses and surveys around the globe only measure ‘migrations’ crossing particular politico‐administrative boundaries, most commonly ‘major’ areas like states. These moves, in turn, are often assumed to be representative of all long‐distance or, in some settings, urban–urban moves. While important because such boundaries signal relevant policy environments, little research has tested these assumptions and, more broadly, the implications of examining mobility using an inter/intrastate classification schema versus other substantively‐relevant approaches. Because these examinations have been particularly absent in developing nations, we compare the dynamics and correlates of mobility across inter/intrastate, distance‐ and rural/urban‐based classification schemata in Mexico, a nation with heterogeneous mobility similar to other large middle‐income countries and overall good data availability. We use 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census long‐form data to examine the changing dynamics of mobility patterns and correlates across the classification schemata. While we find that interstate mobility does cover a large majority of long‐distance and many urban–urban moves, we find that the correlates of interstate movement vary considerably from urban–urban movement in particular. We also find that excluding intrametropolitan from other types of moves may be a sensible strategy to better characterize some processes, an issue of increasing relevance in a more urban world and where city‐regions span across major administrative areas. Given these findings, for a better understanding socioeconomic patterns and trends, we recommend that studies of internal migration avoid intra/interstate schema, consider separating intrametropolitan moves, and combine distance‐based and rural‐urban‐metropolitan approaches.