IOM research on attitudes and practices

To gain more evidence on the attitudes and intentions of potential migrants and which communication channels are used for migrating abroad, IOM conducted a baseline survey for creating a stronger evidence base that guided the setup of an effective awareness-raising program on safe and orderly migration, which was funded by the European Union.

The survey was administered under 600 potential migrants in 12 districts of Bangladesh. The areas covered were Faridpur, Munshiganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Comilla, Feni, Noakhali, Jhenaidah and Jessore.

The profile of those surveyed were 70 percent male and 30 percent female, within the age group of 15-35 years, with education up to higher secondary. The findings showcased that the typical age of potential migrants tends to be 24-29 years old and the typical age of returnees, with potential to re-immigrate tends to be 30 to 35 years old.

Interestingly, 70percent of the respondents planned to approach relatives for information to migrate abroad, and 54 percent trusted people who migrated and returned as reliable sources of pre-departure information.