The Interurban Mobility of the Foreign Born in Canada,1976–81 1

Abstract

This study concerns itself with the relationship between nativity, language affiliation, and interurban mobility in Canada during the intercensal period 1976–81. Three hypotheses are evaluated: a) the urban/ethnic affinity thesis predicts that international immigrants share strong preferences for settling in and relocating toward large urban centers where established ethnic communities exist; b) the sociocultural explanation of mobility posits that variations in the propensity to relocate are a function of nativity and language; and c) the heterogeneity explanation predicts that interurban mobility flows ultimately serve to increase rather than decrease linguistic heterogeneity in large urban areas. A series of crosstabular and logistic regression analyses provide support for all three hypotheses. Theoretical and policy oriented implications are discussed in the context of ethnic community survival in urban Canada.