Student Projects

Millennials In NJ: Migratory Patterns and Public Opinion

Millennials In New Jersey: Migratory Patterns and Public Opinion

Jessica Brand, Evan Friscia, Alex Lleras, Anish Patel, Yasmin Robinson, Roshard Williams

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Millennials are New Jersey’s newest adult generation. There have been some limited studies of this generation, generating a great deal of discussion in the attentive political community about whether this youngest cohort has been “fleeing” the Garden State, and what that might mean if true. This report hopes to contribute to that discussion by offering a detailed evidence-based perspective. Much of previous research has simply focused on the fact that a greater percentage of Millennials are leaving the state than are those in other generations. While this is certainly the case, young people have historically been the most mobile. So, it would certainly be expected that more of those 18-39 would be leaving the state than older residents, and we think this finding not to be a particularly helpful observation in informing public policy. Rather, this report argues that there are two key questions that offer a clearer statistical answer to the question of Millennial exodus:

1) Are Millennials now leaving New Jersey at a higher rate than young people have in the past?

2) Are Millennials leaving New Jersey at a greater rate than Millennials living in neighboring states?