The effects of information and communication technologies on residential mobility and migration

A common presumption is that the widespread adoption of advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs) over the last several decades enhances residential mobility and migration. This research critically evaluates this presumption from the perspective of the long-term decline in residential mobility and migration in many developed countries and concludes that ICTs are capable of both enhancing and impeding residential mobility and migration. Estimates from an instrumental variable model of residential mobility and migration using data from the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study indicate a large negative effect of ICTs on residential change and smaller negative effect on migration.