ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

This study examined the impact of economic conditions on the intention of Baby Boomers to return to farming or rural living. Particularly, it distinguished between the first (born from 1955 to 1964) and second (born from 1965 to 1974) Baby Boomer generations to empirically verify if the determinants of rural migration intention differ across life-cycle stages. The analysis utilized data from the Korea Housing Survey (2020–2023), focusing on household heads belonging to the Baby Boomer cohort. Given the low proportion of households expressing an intention to return to rural areas, Firth’s logistic regression model was employed to correct for rare-event bias. Furthermore, interaction terms were included to examine whether the effects of homeownership in the Seoul Metropolitan Area cause differences between the two Baby Boomer generations. The results indicate that overall economic stability is positively associated with the intention to return to rural areas. However, the key influencing factors varied by generation. For the first Baby Boomer generation, which is entering retirement, stable sources of income such as public and private transfer incomes play a crucial role. Conversely, for the second Baby Boomer generation, which remains economically active, earned and property incomes are the primary determinants. Moreover, homeownership in the Seoul Metropolitan Area serves as a facilitating factor for the rural migration intention of the first generation, but acts as a constraint for the second generation. These findings suggest that rural migration intention is influenced not merely by economic magnitude but also by generational position and life-cycle context. Therefore, policies aimed at promoting “return-to-rural migration” should move beyond treating potential migrants as a single homogeneous group, such as “urban residents” or “Baby Boomers,” and instead reflect generational and life-cycle differences.

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