Outmigration intentions of secondary school students from a rural micro-region in the Czech inner periphery :a case study of the Bystřice nad Pernštejnem area in the Vysočina Region

Abstract

This paper analyzes push and pull factors of eventual secondary school student’s outmigration from the micro-region of Bystřice nad Pernštejnem in the Czech inner periphery in the light of presupposed depopulation trends and manifestations of peripherality and marginality. The outmigration affects primarily the micro-region’s centre while small rural settlements as a whole exhibit a popu-lation growth. The lack of prestigious and well-paid jobs and limited cultural activities, entertainment, and sports appear to be the main push migration factors. Possible solutions to this situation are limited and should include efforts to strengthen the relationship of the local population to the territory, to maintain the good quality of the environment, and to enhance the feeling of personal safety. It is argued that similar motivations can be expected in the majority of Czech peripheral micro-regions.