Residential mobility along the ageing process in Italy

Housing provision and adequacy pose unique challenges along the ageing process, particularly when ageing in place becomes a policy goal, as individuals vary in their ability to address housing quality challenges and adapt to changing needs. This makes residential mobility a potential strategy to align housing circumstances with emerging necessities due to structural constraints or location. This study provides previously lacking empirical evidence for the Italian case, a salient case for its rapid and early ageing. Drawing on data from the ITA.LI survey, a study representative of the Italian population (N = 8,778), we compare the housing conditions of older adults (60+) living in private households with those of younger individuals, focusing on dwelling, location and family configuration. Then, we used Cox regression models to examine late residential mobility in private dwellings and its associations with housing characteristics and life-course-related events. The results showed that living in non-owned housing, residing in a rural area, experiencing partnership dissolution, widowhood and retirement, and having completed higher levels of education are factors associated with an increased likelihood of relocation. We discuss these results considering people’s capacity to adjust their housing conditions to changing needs during the ageing process and the policy implications.