FINDINGS SNAPSHOT

•Survey respondents identified sea-level rise as the most threatening factor facing their previous residences in the RMI, followed by ocean pollution.

•Many more respondents in the U.S.—and particularly in Hawai‘i—cite environmental problems in the RMI as a driver for moving than those presently living in the RMI.

•There is a positive correlation between the lack of access to drinkable water/freshwater sources as a threat to the respondent’s previous living situations in the RMI and their reluctance to return to the RMI. Sea-level rise was also mentioned as a factor that works against a future return to the RMI.

•This study finds no statistically significant relationship between sea-level rise and the decision to migrate to Hawai‘i or the Pacific Northwest.

•95% of respondents in the U.S. noted that king tides have drastically increased in recent years, and there were also high rates of concern about drought and heat waves.

•Although the most pressing problems identified by those living in the RMI were a lack of job opportunities, respondents also ranked drought (2nd), lack of fresh water (3rd), and sea-level rise (4th) as serious concerns when problem ranking statements.

•Half of respondents in the RMI perceived a general negative trend in ecosystem services (the provision of local food and access to freshwater, fuelwood, and safety). Household members of these respondents are more likely to intend to migrate in the next 10 years.

•The survey found a positive correlation between household-level impacts of heat waves, storm surges, and migration propensities—an indication that migration propensities tend to be higher in climate-stressed households.

•This study found no statistically significant difference in migration rates of households within and outside areas that had recently been flooded in the RMI.

•Respondents in destination states selected education (80%), health care (72.5%), economic opportunities (70%), and familial networks (70%) as the most prominent drivers of migration.

•Respondents also noted the inadequacy of the health and education systems and the stagnation of the economy in the RMI as significant reasons for recent migration.

•55% of those based in Hawai‘i stated their rationale for moving to the state above others was its proximity to the RMI, its more closely aligned culture, and its strategic positioning as a departure point to travel to the Continental U.S. 82.5% of respondents in Hawai‘i cited familial networks and the support system provided by extended family in diaspora as important to their rationale for migration.

•In the RMI, respondents identified job opportunities as their greatest concern, though migration for better education and health care is also common.

•The primary reason that migration for work occurs is limited opportunity for generating income on the outer islands because of stagnant (government) wages, delayed payment of goods sold and delivered, insufficient diversity in livelihoods and income sources, and a deterioration of the island’s productivity.

•The primary reason behind the decision to migrate for education or health care is the low level of these services on the island.

•40% of respondents noted that family networks were a factor in their migration decisions.

MIGRATION CRITICS (43.6%):

• Satisfied with the quality of life, development, governance, and security in the RMI.

• Clear about not wanting to move, and very critical about the impacts of migration, both in the RMI and for migrants themselves.

• Happy with life as it is now, but do worry about the future of their islands.

HABITABILITY PESSIMISTS (45.0%):

• Have had their livelihoods affected by climate-related stressors

• Have experienced discrimination

• Possess a fatalistic perspective on future island habitability, and note the Marshallese government’s lack of a resilience strategy,

• Have a neutral position on employability in Hawai‘i

• Have often come to Hawai‘i to seek health care.

MIGRATION OPTIMISTS (37.5%):

• View migration as a successful adaptation strategy

• Try to integrate in the U.S. while also valuing preservation of Marshallese culture

• Perceive that they have improved livelihoods in Hawai‘i and place less importance on climate issues than ‘Habitability Pessimists’

HEALTH CARE MIGRANTS (30.8%):

• Migrate to seek health care, employment, and training

• Have had their livelihoods and food security affected by a changing climate

• Place weight on the importance of remittances rather than government’s support

COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS (28.2%):

• Have strong cultural ties with Marshallese culture

• Migrate for employment and health care

• Feel threatened by environmental changes in their past residence

CLIMATE-CONCERNED MIGRANTS (25.6%):

• See climate as a future driver of migration

• Believe that climate change is worsening extant environmental issues caused by nuclear testing

• Have experienced discrimination in the Continental U.S.