KS3 · Geography

Why people migrate: push and pull factors

Imagine the only big employer in your town shuts down, while a city far away is hiring. Where would you be thinking about moving?

Geography · Population

Pushed away or pulled in?

Tap a reason, then tap the column you think it belongs in. You will see why straight away.

Still to sort

Push factor (0)

A reason that prompts people to leave the place they live.

Where the line is: Push is about the place you are leaving. Ask: what makes it hard or unsafe to stay?

Pull factor (0)

A reason that attracts people to a new place.

Where the line is: Pull is about the place you are heading for. Ask: what is drawing me there?

9 of 9 still to sort.

Nine reasons people move. Decide which column each one belongs in, then read why.

Watch out: Once you have sorted them all, look for pairs. A lack of jobs pushes people away; good job opportunities pull them in. What other pairs can you spot?

Geography · Population

What do you picture when you hear 'migrant'?

You hear the word 'migrants' on the news. Different people picture different things.

Which is closest to what you think right now?

A migrant is just another word for a refugee.Migration means moving to another country for good.People only ever leave because somewhere else looks better.Migrants are a mixed group: some choose to move, some are forced to flee, and a move can be within one country or for a short time.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

A migrant is just another word for a refugee.

This is a common misconception

Easy mistake, because the two words turn up together on the news. But not all migrants are refugees. Some move for economic or educational reasons, and they choose to. A refugee is forced to flee danger, so for them it is not a choice.

Migration means moving to another country for good.

This is a common misconception

That is only one kind. Migration can be internal, which means moving within a country. And it can be temporary, where people move for a short period of time and then return.

People only ever leave because somewhere else looks better.

This is a common misconception

Sometimes it is the other way round: something pushes them away first. A lack of jobs, hazards or conflict can prompt people to leave where they live. Pull factors are only half the story.

Migrants are a mixed group: some choose to move, some are forced to flee, and a move can be within one country or for a short time.

This matches the evidence

Exactly. That is the whole picture, and the rest of this lesson gives you the proper names for each part of it.

Not all migrants are refugees, and migration does not have to mean moving abroad for ever.

Geography · Population

Two ways to sort a move

These four journeys are made-up examples. For each one, tick every box that is true, then check your grid.

A family moves to a different city in their own country and plans to settle there for good.

Stays within one country (internal)Meant to be permanent

A student moves to another country for a short course, then returns home.

Stays within one country (internal)Meant to be permanent

A person moves from one country to another to live there for good.

Stays within one country (internal)Meant to be permanent

A worker takes a short job in another part of their own country, then goes back home.

Stays within one country (internal)Meant to be permanent

Geography · Population

Which name fits?

Pick the description that matches the person. Only one route is taken, and it ends in a name.

Why did they move?

3 ways of being named.

On Someone has moved to a new place. What is their story?. 3 branches to choose from.

Geography · Population

Now you try: write the whole explanation

Imagine a person who lives where there are very few jobs. They decide to move to another country where there are plenty of jobs, and they plan to stay there.

Explain why this person might migrate, and say what type of migration and what type of migrant it is. [6 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Names a push factor, such as a lack of jobs. (1 mark)
Gives the reason it pushes people away, such as high unemployment or low wages making it hard to stay. (1 mark)
Names a pull factor, such as more jobs or higher wages. (1 mark)
Gives the reason it pulls people in, such as places with more jobs attracting people who are looking for work. (1 mark)
Says the move is international (from one country to another) and permanent (they plan to stay). (1 mark)
Names the person as an economic migrant, because they chose where and when to move to improve their finances. (1 mark)

Model answer

A lack of jobs is a push factor, because high unemployment or low wages make it hard for the person to stay. Plenty of jobs in the other country is a pull factor, because places with more jobs or higher wages attract people who are looking for work. This is international migration, because it is a move from one country to another, and it is permanent because they plan to stay. They chose where and when to move to improve their finances, so they are an economic migrant.

Push and pull give the why. Internal or international, permanent or temporary, and the migrant name give the what. A strong answer has both.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Push factors, pull factors, and who counts as a migrant, a refugee or an asylum seeker

What you need to know

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another to live there.
It can be permanent, where people move to stay, or temporary, where they move for a short period of time and then return.
Internal migration is a move within a country. International migration is a move from one country to another.
Have a goYour classmate Sam says: 'Maya moved to a new city in the same country, so that's international migration.' Is Sam right?
No. It is internal migration.
Internal means within one country; international needs a move from one country to another, whatever the distance.
A push factor is a reason that prompts people to leave where they live, such as a lack of jobs, hazards or conflict.
A pull factor is a reason that attracts people to a new place, such as more jobs, better living conditions or better services.
Many reasons come in matching pairs: a lack of jobs pushes, good job opportunities pull; war pushes, peace and safety pull.
Have a goFamine, a severe shortage of food, pushes people away. Have a guess: what might be the matching pull factor?
Plenty of food.
Pull factors are often the mirror image of push factors: the thing missing at home is the thing on offer somewhere else.
Economic migrants choose where and when to move, to improve their education, job opportunities or finances.
Refugees are forced to flee danger such as war, violence or persecution, and leave immediately for their safety, so it is not a choice.
Have a goA confident friend says: 'A refugee is just someone who fancied a better job abroad.' Which word in the definition proves them wrong?
'Forced'. Refugees flee danger, so it is not a choice.
It is economic migrants who choose where and when to move, to improve their education, job or finances.
Asylum seekers move to another country and ask for protection because they fear harm at home, and must go through a legal process to stay.
Not all migrants are refugees.

The big picture

People migrate when something pushes them away from where they live and something pulls them towards somewhere else. Migration can be internal or international, permanent or temporary. And not every migrant is the same: economic migrants choose to move, refugees are forced to flee danger, and asylum seekers ask for protection through a legal process.

Key points

1Push factors prompt people to leave a place; pull factors attract them to a new one.

2Many push and pull factors are mirror images, like a lack of jobs and good job opportunities.

3Migration is internal or international, and permanent or temporary. These are two separate questions.

4Economic migrants choose to move; refugees are forced to flee danger.

5Asylum seekers have moved to another country and asked for protection, and must go through a legal process to stay.

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Worked example

Problem

Floods wreck Amir's home, so he leaves at once for his safety and moves to another country that offers peace and stability. Name the push factor, the pull factor, the type of migration and the type of migrant.

⚠ Watch out

Mixing up push and pull. A push factor is about the place you are leaving; a pull factor is about the place you are heading for. The same thing can be both: a lack of jobs at home pushes, plenty of jobs elsewhere pulls.

🧠

Memory hook

Push shoves you out of where you are. Pull tugs you towards somewhere else. And ask one more question: did they get a choice?

✓

Check yourself

Drought hits a farmer's land, so the family moves to a town with plenty of food and a good school. Name one push and two pull factors. (Answer: drought; plenty of food and good schools.)

Flashcards

(11)

Migration

The movement of people from one place to another to live there.

Permanent migration

People move to stay.

Temporary migration

People move for a short period of time and then return.

Internal migration

Moving within a country.

International migration

Moving from one country to another country.

Push factor

A reason that prompts people to leave the place they live, such as a lack of jobs, hazards or conflict.

Pull factor

A reason that attracts people to a new place, such as more jobs, better living conditions or better services.

Economic migrant

Someone who chooses where and when to move, to improve their education, job opportunities or finances.

Refugee

Someone forced to flee danger such as war, violence or persecution, who leaves immediately for their safety. It is not a choice.

Asylum seeker

Someone who has moved to another country and asked for protection because they fear harm at home. They must go through a legal process to stay.

Is every migrant a refugee?

No. Some migrants move for economic or educational reasons, and they choose to.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Pushed away or pulled in?

What do you picture when you hear 'migrant'?

Two ways to sort a move

Which name fits?

Now you try: write the whole explanation

More KS3 Geography topics