Environmental migration in the Ústí region: perception of the environment and potential migration

The diploma thesis analyses environmental migration, that is, the human migration as a result of environmental change. The aim of the thesis is to assess and explain this trend in the Ústí region in Czechia, a region with an extensive experience of environmentally induced migration due to the deteriorating conditions of the local environment. Special attention was paid to potential migration and the perception of the environment by young people aged 15-29 years. A questionnaire survey was used as the main research method, covering questions about the environment and migration (including the perception of the environment, migration motivation or the character and preference of potential migration). The results suggest, for example, that young people living in an area with deteriorated environment perceive it in a relatively positive way. Most importantly, environmental conditions are not the primary factor leading to the decision to migrate, but a secondary one. Economic factors are becoming more significant when choosing the ideal place to live, rather than non-economic factors. Key words: development displacees - environment - environmental migration - environmental perception - environmentally motivated migrants - migration motivation - potential migration - residential preferences - the Ústí regio