| Historical precedent has contributed to the varying levels of social and economic conditions dispersed throughout the South and in particular North Carolina (Aiken, 2003; Baharanyi, Zabawa, Hill & Wimberley, 1993; Beale, 1996; Beggs, Villemez & Arnold, 1997; Swanson, Harris, Skees, & Williamson, 1994; Woodard, 2011). Referred to as the Black Belt (Gibbs, 2003), the counties situated in the Old Cotton Belt, which stretches from Mississippi to the Virginia Tidewater, have historically fared far worse from both a social and economic perspective than the Old North State's urban and rural counties (Aiken, 2003; Gibbs, 2003). As a result, Black Belt counties register lower net migration than other regions in the state which surrender their human capital to other localities (Tippett, 2015). This explanatory correlational study examined social and economic factors (independent variables) that influence net migration (dependent variable) in North Carolina's Black Belt counties while comparing such indicators to non-Black Belt rural and urban counties. Secondary analysis of U.S. Census data was utilized, employing Pearson correlations and regression models to explain the extent to which 13 social variables and 10 economic variables explain net migration. Statistically significant relationships were found between net migration and (a) 5 out of 13 social variables (b) 9 out of 10 economic variables. Regression models showed that (a) social factors were stronger explanators of net migration than economic factors; (b) significant differences existed between the independent and dependent variables across the three types of counties; (c) greater significant differences existed between the variables within Black Belt counties. Results from this study can be useful to policy makers who craft public policy to address systemic and persistent trends. |
