How do people decide what country to move to?

[tigerlily]

Awesome! I just sent you a PM.

[meggy]

Happy to be interviewed also.
Cheers

[KatieBen]

Roughly how long will the interview take?

[bostonian]

Being an engineer I included an analytical dimension to our research. I aggregated various bits of information from various sources into a comparative spreadsheet. It wasn't as useful as I thought, because the decision includes at least the same amount of subjective "feel", but the sheet is interesting nonetheless. Norway and NZ were close in our eyes, but NZ cast its spell.

[Moomette]

Would love to help, but don't think I qualify for this one as though I lived in the UK for the 13 years prior to our move here, I never bothered with the citizenship as held an EU passport.

[skywatcher]

Being an engineer I included an analytical dimension to our research. I aggregated various bits of information from various sources into a comparative spreadsheet. It wasn't as useful as I thought, because the decision includes at least the same amount of subjective "feel", but the sheet is interesting nonetheless. Norway and NZ were close in our eyes, but NZ cast its spell.

It had to be an Engineer that came up with a spreadsheet like that didn't it LOL!!!!

I note the fertility index for NZ is almost 2. Well, my wife and I (well it's me as far as I know, but definitely the wife) have had 4 kids so we will be boosting that index when we move out there!!

I also had to laugh at the beer consumption ranking. A very poor show there. Who was No 1?

[tigerlily]

Hi all,

The interviews have been between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on how much you have to say on the topic! Meggy and KatieBen I've just sent you PMs with all the details on the study. Moomette, thanks for the offer and I will be sure to let you know when my next study, for all nationalities is open. That one will be an online survey.

Bostonian, you might be interested to know that there are two competing theories on decision making: the rational and the non-rational. Your spreadsheet is very much the rational way to compare countries, but I like how you said that "NZ cast its spell." I tend to argue that some of life's biggest decisions are non-rational. Things like who you marry and whether or not to have children, even what house to buy. You can try to be rational, but I think humans are influenced by emotional connections that tend to be hard to analyze objectively.

Yes, I do need more people still. Skywatcher, can I twist your arm?

[skywatcher]

Hi all,
....I tend to argue that some of life's biggest decisions are non-rational. Things like who you marry and whether or not to have children, even what house to buy. You can try to be rational, but I think humans are influenced by emotional connections that tend to be hard to analyze objectively.

Yes, I do need more people still. Skywatcher, can I twist your arm?

You've already done me remember? I've already spent the Amazon vouchers thanks!! I will encourage others though to contact you as I come across them. The research you are doing looks really interesting and I can't wait to see your final thesis and the outcomes. Don't forget to copy me in.

You are most definitely right about non-rational decisions and emotional connections as well. That after all is what makes us what we are, human beings.

As we discussed during our interview, my decisions are to a large extent being driven by the consequences of being a victim of circumstances, but, mixed in amongst that are other factors including the sort of environment we want our family to be brought up in, the direction the country we currently live in is heading (the recent riots and their background being a PRIME example) and the prospects of a better life and future elsewhere. There will of course be things that we will miss greatly, family, friends, football (), but the principal consideration that has governed our final choice has been what we consider to be the BEST choice for ours, and our childrens, futures.

[tigerlily]

Sorry!! I forgot your forum name!! Yes, I remember our chat well, thank you so much for your help with the study.

[dan-ish]

Hey,

I could help. I'm in the UK at the moment and am moving to NZ in October. Can't wait!

Dan