During 1999 the HSRC embarked on a self-funded multidisciplinary research project on the causes of migration in South Africa. The main purpose of the project was to analyse census and other secondary data and to undertake the necessary surveys with a view to determining the importance of economic and non-economic factors in the explanation of migration trends in South and southern Africa. The study highlighted the need for “purpose-made” data for the analysis of migration causes and patterns, which would be addressed to a large extent by sample surveys dealing specifically also with the social and psychological aspects of migration. To help address these issues a series of surveys was envisaged. The first of these would be aimed mainly at testing the utility of various items that would provide the required data for the migration research. A preliminary (initial) questionnaire survey among 911 households was was undertaken during the period 4 April to 25 June 2000 and the main survey was conducted in 2001-2002.
