Sociologists distinguish between push and pull factors of migration and forced displacement. Push factors are those conditions, developments, and circumstances which drive people away from home. Pull factors are those conditions, developments, and circumstances which incentivize people to choose specific destination countries. Together, they form the reasons and motives why people decide or are forced to go on the move. These factors may be related to a variety of cultural, economic, ethnic, gender-related, political, religious, and social situations. Push factors include war and (ethnic) conflict as well as political oppression and human rights abuses, but also ongoing political instability, which, in turn, influences economic instability and inequality as two additional key drivers of migration. Inadequate public infrastructure such as limited access to and/or quality of education, health care, and other public services also lead to migration, alongside high crime rates. Population growth is sometimes described as the “unstoppable force” of migration. Yet, population growth may not be a push factor in itself, but rather the conditions created when high population density is accompanied by dire economic conditions and political instability. These conditions include, for example, an increase in the unemployment rate. Natural disasters are another key push factor. Increasingly, scholars, journalists and activists have focused on environmental disruptions and climate change as driving factors of migration. Gender-related push factors include political oppression because of gender or sexual orientation, but also gender-related inequalities in the labour market or educational sector.
Amongst the pull factors are greater wealth and better living conditions, lower risk of natural hazards and environmental disruptions, opportunities for personal economic betterment and employment, but also peace and respect for and adherence to human rights and freedom of religion. Moreover, communication may be regarded as a key pull factor: in an increasingly globalized media environment, the mass media, but also social media and interpersonal communication may increase incentives for people to leave for a certain destination, easily conveying a message of the advantages and attractiveness of that place. It is rarely a single factor that makes people leave their homes or a single incentive that pulls them particular destinations. Rather, a combination of different push and pull factors fits most biographies of migrants and refugees. Therefore, it is often difficult to isolate the role and importance of separate context factors. The blend of factors may also lead to difficulties in distinguishing who is a migrant and who is a refugee. For example, a refugee who left his home due to political oppression may need to resettle again away from the first destination because of unemployment or economic hardship. Further, a migrant may leave his country of origin for the sake of economic betterment, while escaping political oppression or armed conflict might also be amongst his key motives.
