Awareness Space Characteristics in a Migration Context

Abstract

The overall pattern of human movements is constrained and molded by the individual's knowledge of his environment. Thus, the migrant's awareness (or lack thereof) of alternative destinations affects the evaluation of these alternatives and the ultimate choice of a new place of residence. This paper focuses upon the characteristics of awareness spaces in an interurban migration context, employing a sample of recent migrants to Columbus, Ohio. The study indicates that the likelihood of a town being included in an individual's awareness space corresponds with gravity model predictions, so that model could be employed to effect an I approximate mapping of awareness spaces. The respondents' familiarity with a town was more important than its gravity model characteristics. The findings, I then, suggest the importance of more specific place characteristics (e.g., job I opportunities, entertainment, and kind of people) in explaining the detailed as opposed to the general attributes of awareness spaces.