The Impact of Migration on the First Nations Community Well-Being Index.

Migration of First Nations people in Canada can affect social and economic conditions of First Nations communities in different ways. Overall levels of migration might cause challenges for infrastructure or service delivery, and selective in- or out-migration might have implications for community human capital. Seen through the lens of social capital, migration could be important for maintaining bridging connections to outside institutions and communities, but might also disrupt social bonds within the community. We investigated the relationships between migration and well being of Canadian First Nations communities using 5-year (2001-2006) census migration rates and the 2006 Community Well-Being Index (CWB), which measures labour market, educational attainment, income and housing conditions in First Nations communities. We found that, on average, both in-migrants to and out-migrants from First Nations had more education and higher incomes than non-migrants, but the difference was greater for out-migrants. This did not strongly affect CWB scores, however. Regressions of CWB scores on in-, out-, net, and gross migration rates, controlling for geography, found small positive effects of both in- and out-migration, as well as gross migration, on CWB scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]