3% in U.S., many of them young, say they moved due to the pandemic; 6% say it made someone move into their home

"Reports on the exodus of New Yorkers from the locked down city and about the flight of wealthy urbanites to vacation homes in remote locations make it sound as if Americans have eschewed city life in droves," writes Andrea Noble of Route Fifty, reporting that a June 4-10 poll found otherwise.

"Three percent of people surveyed by the Pew Research Center reported having moved permanently or temporarily due to the coronavirus pandemic, while 6% said that someone had moved into their home as a result. Another 14% said they knew somebody who had moved," Noble reports. The reason cited most often (by 28%) was to reduce risk of infection from the novel coronavirus; 23% said they moved because their college campus had closed.

"Almost one in 10 adults between the ages of 18 and 29 said they moved, more than any other age group," Noble notes. "The closure of schools and transition for many offices to remote work has increased the appeal for people to leave dense cities for rural retreats and vacation homes. Tourist towns, worried they will become the next outbreak hotspot, have sought to keep vacationers away."

"Of the adults who moved, far more said they relocated to a family member’s home than to a second home or vacation home. Approximately 61% said they relocated to the home of a family member, while 13% said they went to a second or vacation home. It is unclear how many of the moves will be permanent, but only 9% of the people who moved said they rented or purchased a new home."