Abstract
In recent years in Japan, the population outflow from local areas and inflow to Tokyo metropolitan area is considerable, and the negative impact on convenience and economic aspects in local areas is caused by this problem. Therefore, it is important to make a policy to maintain the local government functions in these local areas. In 2015, the Japanese government announced to support migration of elderly people to local areas. The residential choice may be important information for these local governments.
The purpose of this study is to find the residential choices based on difference between elderly people and other generations. Using the data from an original Internet survey in Japan, we rank the residential choices dividing the elderly people and other generations. Our results show that elderly people are more likely to choose regions with rich natural environments compared with other generations. Moreover, we find that elderly people are more likely to choose lifestyle conveniences, such as the availability of nearby supermarkets, while other generations are more likely to choose conveniences related to traffic and commuting. The local governments that attempt to implement the policy of migration can promote inflow of the elderly people by improving the rich natural environments and depicting its appeal.
