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May 10, 2000Student to examine 'lifestyle migration'Data will be collected for doctoral dissertationBy CARI NOGARecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Residents here already are familiar with the axiom that a view of the bay is half the pay. Now, Brian Hoey wants to know why people think it is worth that. A University of Michigan graduate student in cultural anthropology, Hoey is spending this year in Traverse City, collecting data for a doctoral dissertation on what he calls "lifestyle migration." It's no secret that the Grand Traverse area and northwest Lower Michigan in general are experiencing phenomenal population growth - despite the general drain of Midwestern residents toward the southwestern and Rocky Mountain states. Indeed, " 'isn't it obvious?' " is the reaction Hoey says many people give him when he explains his project. But while views of the bay and a perceived safer, less hectic small-town way of life may be the obvious motives, Hoey is studying the day-to-day family and work changes that people make in order to have that lifestyle. "That's where social change is going on - people's daily lives," Hoey said. Right now, the understanding of that change is "pretty shallow," Hoey said. To really get into people's feelings and thoughts, he plans to conduct in-depth interviews with about 150 people who will remain anonymous. He is seeking a representation of the community - couples with and without children, single people and retirees - who have moved to the five-county Grand Traverse area within the last 10 or 15 years. "In Michigan, there's a very clear separation from downstate and Up North," Hoey said. "They idealize places like Traverse City." Then in some cases, people come to Traverse City and because the wages are lower, find themselves working two jobs and more hours, Hoey noted. But they also may be able to blend work and play and family much more easily, making the tradeoff worth it in their minds, he said. "This is a pretty dramatic shift from an older model of career," Hoey said. He hopes to complete his data collection this year and finish writing his dissertation by 2003. Eventually, he sees two practical applications: - Business relocations. As business becomes more global and labor more tight, businesses must become more sensitive to the lifestyle and quality of life issues that are important to employees in order to keep and attract talent. - Communities. Hoey does not want to tell community decision makers what to do. However, he believes his research will illuminate the reasons people choose to live where they do and what they consider important there. "The purpose of this research is not so much to make policy recommendations, but to provide the information to make those decisions," he said. Hoey is working through the University of Michigan's Center for the Ethnography of Everyday Life. It is funded by the New York-based Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, as part of its mandate to try and better understand the needs of working families. Hoey also is seeking project participants. For more information, call him at 995-0852 during business hours, send e-mail to bhoey@umich.edu, or visit his project Web site at www.umich.edu/~bhoey. |
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