SUMMARY: Young People and Labour Mobility (study 2b)



	Summary of project findings Young People and Labour Mobility: Summary of Findings 1.Migration studies 1.1 Interviews We undertook both individual and group interviews at six sites: in both England and Scotland, two by the border (Dumfries, Carlisle), two at the centre (Glasgow, Manchester) and two at the periphery (Inverness, Falmouth). We are still in the process of reading and analysing much of this material, however a number of points have emerged - particularly from analysis of the Dumfries material: People do not always consider mobility from the perspective of their national (Scottish) identities. However, when they do, they do express concern at moving across the border to England. They express a concern of being alien and of not fitting in. In group interviews, there is an additional concern with being seen as 'disloyal'. The difference with England is often expressed in class terms. England is seen as 'posh' and 'mannered'. Young Scots see themselves in contrast as 'ordinary' and fear ostracism for such things as not knowing how to hold a teacup properly. Frequently, young people invoke alternative identities, such as the generational. When they do so, alternative concerns such as 'adventure' and 'excitement' become foregrounded. If anything, this makes going away to England more attractive than staying 'at home' in Scotland. Sometimes, people do not invoke a specific identity but are more concerned with the ability to have control over their identity. To the extent that this is so, they express concern about going to England. They fear being 'exoticised ' as a Scot and positioned as such whether they like it or not. In Scotland, they will not be the 'other' and hence will have more ability to choose an identity for themselves.Ý 1.2. Experiments The implication of the interviews is that identity is not fixed and that one should not ask whether or not people view migration from a national perspective. Rather, one should address the consequences for migration once the national dimension (or indeed any other dimension) is made salient. The advantage of experiments is precisely in the way they allow one to impose different identity frames and investigate the consequences for mobility decisions. We have conducted four experiments addressing these issues. Three are analysed. The data from the fourth has been entered into the computer and will soon be done. The major findings are: When the national dimension is made salient (simply by drawing the border into a map of the UK) Scots are less likely to favour moving to England - but only where they identify highly with the national category. This difference is statistically mediated by a sense of 'fitting in'. That is, when national identity is salient people feel that they will fit in less in England than in Scotland and this in turn makes them less willing to work in England than in Scotland When we make generational identity salient as opposed to national identity, then our participants (all young people) find all locations less attractive, although a Scottish preference remains. This is probably due to the fact that all our locations are relatively small unexciting places and hence seem less inviting from a youth than a national perspective. The most recent (unanalysed) study seeks to remedy this. Based on pilot data we chose 'exciting' locations in England and 'national traditional' locations in Scotland. The expectation is that Scottish participants will prefer the traditional locations when national identity is salient and exciting locations when youth identity is salient. We wait with baited breath! In two other studies we investigated how manipulating the meaning of intergroup difference could affect young people's mobility intentions. We hoped to show that when difference was construed as problematic Scottish locations would be chosen over English locations but that this could be attenuated (even reversed) when difference was construed as positive. However, results from both studies show that construing difference as problematic leads to a reduced preference for Scottish locations and we are still exploring the processes that could be involved in these results. 2. Other Studies We have conducted a variety of studies looking at a number of different themes, all related to the significance of national identity in terms of judgements and choices, especially those relating to issues of social solidarity. Amongst other things we have found the following: The impact of 'ethnic' and 'civic' claims to Scottishness: When a speaker claims Scottishness on the basis of place of birth and parenthood, this claim is more accepted than when they claim Scottishness on the basis of choice of location (i.e., somebody born in England to English parents but choosing to live in Scotland). When the speaker goes on to argue a case that is seen as inconsistent with Scottish values, the person making an ethnic claim is less influential than the person making a civic claim. Helping behaviour and national reputation: In a number of studies we find that people are far more responsive to appeals that help fellow Scots that those which help non-Scots. However, when participants are led to believe that an outgroup views them as ungenerous, they increase help to non-Scots - even exceeding that given to fellow nationals. Thus protecting the national reputation can be a powerful basis for pro-social behaviour. Social comparison and concerns about racism in Scotland: When Scots are asked to indicate the level of racism in Scotland and the priority that should be placed on anti-racist measures, they indicate more concern where Scotland is being compared to Scandinavian countries as opposed to England. In addition, concern increases when Scots are made to feel powerless in comparison to England as opposed to powerful. We are currently designing studies to address the underlying mechanisms, but these findings show that both whether and how Scotland is compared to England may have implications for domestic Scottish issues. Media interest: Scots report more interest in a story when the location is Scotland rather than England or left unspecified. Home \| Contact \| Edinburgh University Homepage Nations and Regions research programme The Institute of Governance The University of Edinburgh, Chisholm House, High School Yards, EDINBURGH EH1 1LZ, Scotland Tel: (+44) (0) 131 650 8093 email: Nations and Regions research programme email: The Institute of Governance Last modified: 7 March 2005 Pages updated by rosstait Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all material is copyright ©The University of Edinburgh