At least that’s the conclusion in this New Republic article. Put briefly, although Red State social policies (Abortion, GLBQ, trans) generally affect lots of people within a state, there is one demo that is able to make lifestyle decisions based on those policies: young college grads, just starting careers, who have greater mobility than people in lower socio-economic groups, and also more mobility than older folks who are already established in their careers.
One college grad group particularly affected is young doctors. Abortion restrictions affect their ability to provide good reproductive health care, and it’s affecting where med students go for their residencies snd then to practice.
The post-Dobbs laws are also affecting young college women, starting their careers and thinking about reproductive rights, and also their male significant others.
Interesting read. Two likely effects are reducing the number of doctors in red states, particularly ob-gyn, and also driving away future upper-income taxpayers.
I mean from one of the ones who call us libtards and traitors for saying that the Iraq war was going to destabilize the Middle East, but I appreciate it.
Red state brain drain will only push those left behind to more extremism.
This has been a problem here in Arkansas for quite a while. When doing a research paper for college, I came across an article complaining about teachers leaving the state to work in Texas where they could make more money. This article was from the 1950s. When I worked on the intern program at work, we were in competition with companies based out of state both for pay and for the opportunities they had living there that weren’t available in Arkansas.
I’m not surprised young professionals are leaving red states. If I was a recent college graduate, I’d consider leaving Arkansas.
If MTG got her druthers, you wouldn’t have a choice. MTG’s national divorce
Although what that would look like is anyone’s guess. From the article:
In February, Greene argued that the country should “separate our ideological and political disagreements by states” while “maintaining our legal union,” in a 13-tweet thread on X.
Does that mean shifting populations from one state to another (all blue state sympathizers in Florida, get out – this is a Red State!) or what? Would parts of the US look like East Germany?
In truth, don’t ask. Greene has no clue herself. It’s all just emotional rhetoric anyway.
As someone in a red state, one consistent problem I see with conservatives is the problem of understanding that with everything comes a payoff.
If you want the economic benefits that having young talent brings, then you have to concede something you don’t like, in order to keep them. Such as letting them have abortion, etc. If you don’t want Covid, then you have to pay the price of wearing a mask, etc.
Conservatives want the benefits of something without the price, and it confuses them when there’s a price.
I don’t doubt that states with harsh right-wing social policies are losing out on some progressive-oriented grads with college and advanced professional degrees. But that article seems long on anecdotes and limited on data.
There are ton of factors influencing where people settle - job opportunities, competition, pay, cultural factors, climate, familiarity etc. Progressive politics probably fall well down the list for most.
As far as physicians go, practice location desirability appears to favor red states somewhat (Montana, Idaho, Utah, and North and South Dakota tend to appear near the top of rankings). OB-GYNs are likely prone to look askance at states clamping down on abortion rights. But they’re also going to be influenced by factors like malpractice lawsuit risk, taxes and competition.
More anecdotal evidence: My son, a recent college grad with a degree in computer engineering, took a job in Iowa. Now he can’t wait to get out, mostly due to disgust with the state’s politics.
While I’m sure that politics plays into it some, I think @Jackmannii is more accurate.
When my brother graduated from medical school in New Mexico, the Chair of the University unabashedly begged some of the students to start a practice in state, citing desperate need, especially in traditionally underserviced areas, including the Native American heavy areas and reservations.
He ended up doing residency in Florida, then working for a hospital in Texas, where he still is along with my niece and nephew.
He’s a good person, and while probably more to the right than me politically, is still well within the strictures of a moderately conservative Democrat.
But money spoke much louder for him. And there are plenty of blue communities (deep urban, along with just plain poor) that also suffer from brain drain. There are only so many saints, and plenty of Joe Schmoes (especially those with gargantuan student loans) who put their own needs first.
I do hope though for the sake my my niece and nephew (approaching junior high age) that they choose to relocate sooner than later. But as always, having enough wealth can insulate them from some of the consequences of deep-red-state politics (and granted they live in the DFW metroplex, which isn’t exactly super red): if something happened and my niece (as a random example) needed an abortion, well, maybe they just took a vacation to visit uncle Lines in Colorado for a few weeks? I’d love to see them, and I’m not going to inquires where they are every minute…
That article was posted in another thread and I had the same reaction. The author doesn’t even say which states they consider to be “red states.” And they handwave the most glaring exception to their thesis – Texas is increasing our number of college-educated workers by leaps and bounds.
I live in FL. Which I consider a blue state that’s in the process of being stolen by Red electoral skullduggery.
Eventually, if they are not stopped they will make FL unlivable for Blue people. And then I’ll move. Easier to say than do and also easier to do in some phases of any life than in other phases.
I recall a long-distance telecon with someone who was griping about the weather where they were and asked another party on the call how come they were so lucky as to live in [nice place]. To which the response was “Luck? I moved.”
One hell of a lot of Americans, myself included, may need to decide that moving is better than staying. Whether for politics, taxes, weather, cost-of-living, or disaster prevention.
I’m not sure how eventual it is. This is merely another anecdote, but remember the liberal arts college in Sarasota that DeSantis and his people took over with a view to rooting out all the woke-ism? A good friend of mine was right in the middle of it - one of several people who were fired for no apparent reason other than the newly installed powers didn’t seem to like them.
Well, friend picked up and moved out of state. Their new employer is glad to have them, and Florida is poorer for the loss. I would strongly discourage anyone I cared about from living in Florida, and have already done so.