12th Annual IGSS Conference • October 28-29, 2021

Integrating Genetics and the Social Sciences 2021

The Big (Genetic) Sort? Reassessing Migration Patterns and Their Genetic Imprint in the UK

Shiro Furuya, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A recent study suggested that contemporary internal migration patterns in the UK have contributed to geographical clustering based on socioeconomic status and also genetic variants. An implication of the results was that some low-SES places (i.e., coal producing areas) were disproportionately losing individuals with high "genetic" potential through migration. However, this work conflated migration away from disadvantaged areas with differential propensities of migrating anywhere that is tied to genetic measurement. We reassess the relationship between migration and genetic factors and show that migration away from "coal areas" are not uniquely disadvantaged by outmigration; rather, polygenic scores linked to educational attainment predict migration propensities and migration distance.