Non-migration is an adaptive strategy that has received little attention in environmental migration studies. We explore the leveraging factors of non-migration decisions of communities at risk in coastal Bangladesh, where exposure to both rapid- and slow-onset natural disasters is high. We apply the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to empirical data and assess how threat perception and coping appraisal influences migration decisions in farming communities suffering from salinization of cropland. This study consists of data collected through quantitative household surveys (n = 200) and semi-structured interviews from four villages in southwest coastal Bangladesh. Results indicate that most respondents are unwilling to migrate, despite better economic conditions and reduced environmental risk in other locations. Land ownership, social connectedness, and household economic strength are the strongest predictors of non-migration decisions. This study is the first to use the PMT to understand migration-related behaviour and the findings are relevant for policy planning in vulnerable regions where exposure to climate-related risks is high but populations are choosing to remain in place.

不迁移是一种适应性策略，在环境迁移研究中很少受到关注。我们探讨了孟加拉国沿海地区面临风险的社区的非移民决定的杠杆因素，那里遭受快速和缓慢发生的自然灾害的风险都很高。我们将保护动机理论 (PMT) 应用于经验数据，并评估威胁感知和应对评估如何影响遭受农田盐渍化的农业社区的迁移决策。本研究包括通过定量住户调查收集的数据（n = 200) 和来自孟加拉国西南沿海四个村庄的半结构化访谈。结果表明，尽管其他地方的经济条件较好且环境风险有所降低，但大多数受访者仍不愿迁移。土地所有权、社会联系和家庭经济实力是非移民决定的最强预测因素。本研究首次使用 PMT 来了解与移民相关的行为，其研究结果与脆弱地区的政策规划相关，这些地区面临与气候相关的风险很高，但人们选择留在原地。