Are People Fleeing States with Abortion Bans?

Daniel Dench, Kelly Lifchez, Jason Lindo and Jancy Ling Liu

No 33328, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: In this study, we investigate whether reproductive rights affect migration. We do so using a synthetic difference-in-differences design that leverages variation from the 2022 Dobbs decision, which allowed states to ban abortion, and population flows based on change-of-address data from the United States Postal Service. The results indicate that abortion bans cause significant increases in net migration outflows, with effect sizes growing throughout the year after the decision. The most recent data point indicates that total abortion bans come at the cost of more than 36,000 residents per quarter. The effects are more prominent for single-person households than for family households, which may reflect larger effects on younger adults. We also find suggestive evidence of impacts for states that were hostile towards abortion in ways other than having total bans.

JEL-codes: H0 I0 J0 K0 R0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-lab and nep-mig
Note: CH EH LE LS PE
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