TY  - SER
AU  - Fiore, Ann Marie
TI  - Will They Stay or Will They Go?
PY  - 2015///
KW  - Rrci
KW  - Rural Renaissance Community Index
KW  - Graduates
KW  - Community Features
KW  - Migration
KW  - Brain Drain
N2  - Rural regions of the United States have experienced detrimental out-migration, or brain drain, of college-educated individuals. The present study used survey data, gathered with an interactive website tool containing a comprehensive collection of economic and lifestyle features, to determine those most important in migration decisions for public university graduating seniors from the rural state of Iowa. Economic features (overall cost of living and a strong local economy) were ranked as the top features, followed by lifestyle features including two surprising features (access to basic consumer  goods and access to health facilities). The impact of individual differences on the likelihood of moving and the selection of desired community features was also examined and proved to be statistically significant. For instance, in comparison with female graduates, male graduates selected educational level of residents and higher percentage of nonmarried residents features more frequently. Implications for policy development and marketing and economic development strategies are discussed
ER  -