The impact of earthquakes on residential satisfaction and the intention to move

In the province of Groningen, the Netherlands, natural gas has been extracted for more than half a century. The gas extraction has led to soil subsidence, which has triggered the occurrence of earthquakes. The last two decades show a gradual increase in the number as well as in the strength of recorded earthquakes. Even though the earthquakes are relatively weak, they can have many negative consequences for inhabitants, such as worries about their own and their families’ safety and about damage to, and the sale ability of, their dwellings. In June 2015, a large scale survey has been performed into the quality of life, housing preferences and intention to move of residents living in nine municipalities in the region at risk. Based on this survey, the current paper explores the effect of earthquakes on the intention to move within two years, using logistic regression analysis and 3815 cases. The results show that the intention to move is influenced by age, education, household type, attachment to the region, type of residential environment, length of residency, residential satisfaction and a scale that consists of seven earthquake related psychological problems, such as anxiety, insecurity and worrying. With regard to the latter, each unit increase on the five point scale is related to inhabitants being 1.7 times more likely to have the intention to move. We conclude that the experience with earthquakes may lead to psychological distress that has a direct and independent effect on the intention to move.