‘Should I stay or should I go?’ : young people’s perspectives on moving abroad

Abstract

Young adulthood is a life stage in which individuals start to think ahead for their future. However, it is also a period characterised with exploration and enthusiasm to consider new experiences, such as the desire to move abroad. Research from local empirical data platforms suggests that a concerning number of young Maltese people want to leave Malta. The aim of this dissertation is to qualitatively study young people’s perspectives on moving abroad, whilst examining the underlying factors which contribute towards their decisions to migrate or to stay. The focus is aimed towards young Maltese people in order to analyse how mobility is perceived when living on a small island state such as Malta. Data for this study was compiled through a set of interviews with individuals who were living abroad during the time of the study (n= 6) and a focus group with individuals who were living in Malta during the time of study (n= 7), with a total sample of 13 participants. It was found out that although factors such as overpopulation, traffic, and environmental concerns motivate individuals to leave the country, other factors such as close-knit communities tend to discourage young people to leave. Therefore, the process of moving abroad highly depends on agency, alongside other structural factors which could potentially impact departure. The research findings include policy implications which shed light on what can be done to incentivise young people to stay.