Exploring migration hold factors in climate change hazard-prone area using grounded theory study: Evidence from Coastal Semarang, Indonesia

Though those who stay put in climate change hazard-prone areas are an intriguing subject of research, only a small number of empirical works specifically targeted these populations. Hence, the drivers of immobility in disaster-prone areas remain understudied and inadequately theorized. In response to these gaps, this contribution locates environmental immobility. The study aims to construct a theoretical model and examine the model through the evidence from the fishing community on the coast of Semarang, one of the areas most severely affected by tidal inundation in Semarang, namely Kampong Tambak Lorok. Using the study of in-depth substantial interviews from 24 participants, we use the grounded theory method to construct a theoretical model. The findings show that the grounded theory’s coding process generated 18 initial concepts, eight main categories, and four core categories. It explores some of the reasons why populations continue to stay, even in the face of environmental degradation. There were two following conclusions: (1) Populations who stay put in disaster-prone areas are held by place attachment, family ties, social ties, and occupational ties. (2) Migration hold factors generate immobility by resisting the forces of migration push factor. The study meaningfully incorporates the migration hold factors as one of the drivers of immobility and enhances the field of environmental immobility theory, migration theory, and environmental migration research. Besides, some policy suggestions are provided as a result of the research findings. For future study, this research also offers a reference for exploring theoretical models of migration hold factors in other regions and countries with different environmental degradation settings. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.