[1] Recent research has documented the social and political drivers of counterurbanization and its impacts in China and other developing countries which are undergoing a process of mass urbanization.
Mitchell, an associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Waterloo, argues that in Europe, counterurbanization involves a type of migration leading to deconcentration of one area to another that is beyond suburbanization or metro decentralization.
People have moved from urban to rural communities for various reasons, including job opportunities and simpler lifestyles.
This creates jobs in the country and also for rural communities so they do not need to move their entire family to a whole new setting and also reduces unnecessary expense for the companies.
[6] People choosing to live in rural areas have found it more beneficial because of cleaner air, peace and quiet, and plentiful space.
In the case of Russia, counterurbanization has been relatively limited since jobs have not always moved to rural areas to accommodate those who want to leave the city.
In 2010, it was found that two-thirds of small towns are depressed, meaning that it has a large working-age population that is unemployed, and businesses are not profitable.
Mitchell believes the phenomenon of counterurbanization to be reflective of values and ideology in people's preferred living style thus taking into consideration not only distances traveled from the urban area but the motivations.
[3][7] A 2004 study of 4.4 million Swedish residents found that people who live in cities have a 20% increased chance of developing depression.
In China, during the "Cultural Revolution" in 1966–1976, urbanization stagnated, and a nationwide anti-urbanization started, which was manifested by a massive "Down to the Countryside Movement".