Dynamics of (dis)integration: The impact of migration mobility on neighbourhood cohesion

Abstract

Social cohesion – encompassing trust, mutual support and a sense of shared belonging – is foundational to the stability and inclusiveness of democratic societies. Yet, how this cohesion is affected by increasing population mobility remains contested and often under-theorized. Existing research frequently relies on static models of diversity, focusing predominantly on immigration and neglecting the broader dynamics of intra-city and internal migration. This article addresses these gaps by combining insights from the ‘new mobility paradigm’ with multilevel empirical analysis to explore how migration experiences – both individual and contextual – affect perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion. Drawing on geo-referenced survey data from the FGZ-RISC Regionalpanel (2021) and administrative statistics from 91 neighbourhood districts in the German cities of Hanover and Magdeburg, we investigate the role of migration trajectories, district-level turnover and demographic context in shaping residents’ perceived cohesion. Our findings reveal a tale of two cities in which individual and collective experiences of migration mobility yield quite different effects on social cohesion: in Magdeburg, newcomers experience significantly lower cohesion regardless of neighbourhood context, while in Hanover, high district-level turnover rather than individual mobility affects cohesion. These results challenge universal claims about migration’s impact on cohesion and instead highlight the role of urban infrastructure, history and the rhythms of settlement.