To stay or to leave

Perspectives of residence after the retirement of residents in urban or rural areas in Portuguese inland regions

Abstract

The place of residence is conditioned by multiple factors, namely
proximity to the place of work, which is of considerable importance. The moment of retirement
can be an opportunity to change this location, particularly if the contexts of that
residence are perceived as less favorable to aging. Starting from the question “After the
reform, do you plan to continue living in the same location?”, this article aims to identify
the intention of adults between 55 and 64 years old (n=161) living in urban and rural contexts
in the interior of Portugal to keep or change residence. The results reveal significant
differences, with residents in rural areas, with a higher incidence among those still working,
expressing a greater willingness to change location and residents in urban areas wanting to
keep their place of residence. Less availability of services and greater difficulty in accessing,
particularly health care, seem to explain the different trend of future residence of residents
in rural areas. The evaluation of the state of health in the last five years is also more negative
among those who live in rural areas and those who express an intention to change location.
We conclude that if the existence of work contributes to the settling of people in rural areas,
health conditions and greater difficulty in accessing health services are factors for the
depopulation of rural areas.