English migrants in the Scottish countryside: Opportunities for rural Scotland?

Abstract

Abstract This analysis incorporates data from a detailed household survey investigating the impacts of migration in rural Scotland. Migrants of English‐origin account for one in five of the total sample and were most frequently observed in Northern Scotland. Many had moved as part of Scotland's internal migration system and were motivated by quality of life considerations. The findings suggest that English migrants are revitalising ailing rural demographic structures, but in economic and social terms they are very similar to Scottish incomers. If there is an issue regarding migration to rural Scotland it is suggested that this relates to all incomers irrespective of their origin and not solely the English.